Killing Them Softly: Farfalle Velenose
by Lord Divestre Croft
Summary: The past has finally caught up to our eccentric hero. Soon the darkness of his past will come into the light...but how will Tifa feel about it? Who are the Farfalle Velenose, anyway? And what does it have to do with Cloud? -Discontinued- Go to Red Revolution for the rewrite...
1. Restless Silence

Here we go...Phase 3 is underway!

* * *

The young Shan Chu of the Triads stood in front of a large aquarium-like tank, watching large and small exotic fish. Like a ruler or general, he held his hands together behind his back. A knock came at his office door, and he beckoned his visitor to come in. The young, Asian woman stepped inside and shut the door behind her.

"Thank you for coming, Mai."

Mai answered with a short 'hmmm'. He held out his hand to Mai, and she timidly walked closer to him. She took his hand, and he pulled her into an embrace.

"Have I forced you into do something you didn't want?" he asked. "After all, he is your father."

"But I am your wife," Mai answered. "That means more to me."

"You haven't told the travelers your name?"

"No…I've concealed it from them…just like you said."

----------

"It's been two days," Reno whined. "Nothing's happened! We've got nothing!"

"Shut you face, Reno," Vincent replied. "Be glad that we're having some peace."

Reno groaned and asked the bartender for a glass of beer. Vincent asked for hot sake.

"If you're trying to please the natives," Reno teased, "This is Taiwan…not Japan."

"I know that, idiot."

"But how can you drink that stuff?" Reno asked. "It's like drinking warm, ultra-bitter licorice…I hate it!"

Vincent welcomed the sake with open arms. Reno watched in macabre interest as Vincent drank and gagged.

"Ah, deliciously bitter," Vincent said to himself. "Just the way I like it."

A shiver went up Reno's spine. He didn't feel like having a beer anymore.

"Tell them to forget my drink," he said. "I'm phasing."

As Reno left the bar, he could have sworn hearing someone call him a wimp. Still shivering with disgust, he walked up to the elevator and pushed the button to go up. The elevator chimed, and Tifa walked out.

"Where are you off to, little Miss Lockhart?"

"Out," Tifa replied placidly. "Call me on the cell if something happens."

Tifa attempted to go past him, but Reno grabbed her arm.

"Why go out?" he said slyly. "There's **plenty **to do here…"

"Reno," Tifa said sharply. "I don't believe that I've ever been interested."

She managed to slip out of his grasp, but Reno was persistent. He grasped her waist before could completely get away.

"May I come with you then?"

Tifa snarled and began to ball up her fist. Suddenly, a stray bell cart came flying towards them, nearly hitting Reno. He let go of Tifa and backed out of the way, just in time. The bell cart was abruptly stopped by the closing elevator. A bellboy came stampeding and stopped in front of them, apologizing in Chinese.

"I'm sorry," the bellboy said, still in Chinese. "Some lunatic stole the cart from me and gave it a good shove over here. I think he intentionally tried to hit you, sir."

"Lunatic?!" Reno repeated.

The bellboy retrieved the cart and the elevator finally shut.

"Yeah...he was slightly taller then you...he was blonde...he had dark blue eyes...and his hair was spiky..."

----------

_Maude Reynolds ran with all her might through the English countryside. A small boy's hand fit inside hers like a glove. The boy slipped and fell, and Maude took him in her arms. She continued running through the fields, trying to get back to the estate._

"_Who...who were those guys?" the boys asked._

"_I don't know!" Maude answered. "I don't care to find out either..."_

_The boy looked over her shoulder and saw two men pursuing them. He swallowed his breathe and trembled with fear. One of them pointed a gun and starting shooting. Scrambling to get away from the bullets, Maude made it to the hill by the house. She crouched and let herself slide down with the bundle in her arms. They heard more gunshots, and the boy saw the two men, rolling lifelessly down the hill._

_Maude stood up at the base of the hill and continued running once more; the estate was finally in sight. Another gun shot fired, and Maude cried out in pain. She fell forward and lost her grip on the boy. He landed with a painful thump, by Maude's side. She coughed out blood and moaned in agony._

"_Maude!"_

_Maude managed to look at the boy one last time._

"_J-just run!" she screamed. "Get out of here! Get inside!"_

_Reluctantly, the boy left her side and kept running...back to the estate...with gunshots ringing in the distance._

Cloud finally woke up panting. He sat up in the hotel bed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"That's the second nightmare in a row..."

----------

A cold shower was definitely needed. At least, in Cloud's view it was. The nightmare had been all too real, almost as if he were reliving something. No...'reliving' was too absurd a word.

Cloud leaned on the shower wall and let the cold water pour all over him. The disturbing dream had been mitigated, but it had not been forgotten.

_A supposedly five-year-old Cloud sat alone in a sterile waiting room. The reception desk was empty, and the TV was blaring the evening news. He heard the all-to familiar loud clicking of heels and felt someone's shadow loom over him. A teenaged Lucy Skandon patted him on the head and smiled. He disliked her touch immensely._

"_Hi there...are you scared? Do you miss your parents?"_

_He nodded without looking at her. Behind Lucy, a little girl stood, taking a deep interest in Cloud. Lucy pushed the girl in front of her and encouraged her to introduce herself._

"_Hi...my name is Shera. What's yours?"_

_Cloud watched with relief as Lucy left the waiting room. _

"_My name is Cloud."_

_Shera became even friendlier when she saw him smile. She climbed up onto the chair next to him and took his hand. Because he wasn't used to being touched by girls his age, Cloud cringed at the sudden act of affection. Shera was completely oblivious._

"_I'm four," she said cheerfully. "How old are you?"_

"_Five and a half."_

_She let go and curled herself onto the chair, the soles of her feet on the seat. One of her flip-flops fell onto the floor, but she didn't care. Shera was a skinny girl, wearing a yellow, summer dress. Her hair was in short, braided ponytail. _

"_I'm coming with you today," she said. "We're going with your mum and dad."_

_Having not seen his parents in two weeks, one could only imagine how excited Cloud felt._

"_They told me that from now on...we're cousins! Isn't that great?"_

The cold water came to a halt.

"Something's wrong with me..."

* * *

Confused?

Super! My job is half-done...


	2. Madame Luciano

Hehehe...I love this story so much...and I neglected my other stories as a result...

* * *

Deep in the fields Tuscany, Italy, several rows of grape vines gave way to the mansion that they belonged to. It was a large, Mediterranean themed estate, with its walls made of beige and tan stucco. Behind the house was a vast garden in the shape of a complicated maze.

It was twilight in Tuscany; the mistress of the estate saw that very well. She reclined on her favorite lounge chair in a long sleeved, flowing, black dress and looked upon her land through the tall, open window. She brushed her silver hair behind her shoulder and a thoughtful smile complimented her beautiful, yet snow white face. She leisurely reached toward a bowl on a round table before her and pulled out a dark, red cherry. Her dark, purple lips puckered around it, and she began to chew the cherry's flesh. As she mercilessly devoured the fruit, she stared at a picture frame on the left side of the bowl.

A black telephone, on the right of the bowl began to ring. She casually accepted the call, spitting the pit out and putting it in the bowl.

"This is Jenova de Luciano speaking," she answered.

"Miss Luciano…there is call for you from Taipei…it's from Sephiroth."

"Then put him online," Jenova answered. "I've been waiting for hours."

Jenova waited for a few seconds until she heard the signal.

"Hello," Sephiroth answered. "I apologize for the delay…public airports are hopeless."

"You are forgiven. Where is he?"

"Currently staying in the Peninsula Hotel with others."

Jenova began to fiddle with a lock of her hair and chuckled. She leaned to the side and grabbed the picture frame.

"Very good," she replied. "Everything is going according to plan. Have a pleasant time in Taipei…but keep a good eye on him. Do not let him out of your sight. You can do this for me, right Sephiroth, dear?"

"Of course…mother dear."

"That is all then," Jenova said. "Goodnight…or good morning to you! Get some sleep…it's in the wee hours of the morning there!"

She hung up the phone and leaned back, marveling at the picture like a little girl. In the picture, two teenagers and a young adult stood together, grinning for the camera. In the middle, there was Sephiroth, age eighteen, with his arms around the other two. On his left was a twenty one-year-old Lucy Skandon, holding out a victory sign. On Sephiroth's right was fourteen-year-old Cloud Strife, showing a slightly fake smile, annoyed that Sephiroth was touching him in the first place but tolerating it anyhow.

"You can run to the ends of the earth…but I'll have you again…my little savage!"

----------

Marlene curled up into the corner of the dusty room. The iron door creaked open, and two heavies literally dragged Yuffie threw. Her clothes were torn, her lip was bleeding, and she was peppered with cuts and bruises. Without care, the men threw her onto the bed in the opposite corner of the room. She landed face first, and the sheets made her face itch.

"Yuffie!"

Marlene abandoned her corner and went to Yuffie's side. Yuffie groaned and rolled the two men left the room as quickly as they came. The slamming of an iron door echoed through the room like a gong.

"Yuffie…"

"I'm alright," Yuffie answered weakly. "I just need rest."

Marlene gingerly took her hand and rubbed it gently.

"What did they do to you?"

"They tortured me," Yuffie answered. "Isn't it obvious…I didn't know anything too…what a waste…"

Yuffie covered her mouth and coughed violently.

"W-what did they want?"

"Something about some organization I've never heard of," Yuffie answered. "Farfalle Velenose…what the heck is that supposed to mean?"

Marlene finally lost her strength and began to cry frightened tears.

"It's okay," Yuffie said. "We're going to get out of this soon…don't fret…"

With much effort, Yuffie reached over and touched Marlene's cheek.

----------

_Cloud sat alone with a pencil in hand, an Advanced Algebra textbook, and paper on the ground. To Cloud's annoyance, a panicking man ran into the parking lot, disrupting his train of thought on the math problem. The man stopped to catch his breathes and stared at the teenager with bewilderment. What was a thirteen-year-old doing alone in a parking lot?_

_The man shook his head and took a few steps with false security. A finger tapped the man on the shoulder, and he swerved around in startled response. Sephiroth smiled sadistically and swung a metal pole into the man's face. He fell to the cement, hard, and grabbed the side of his face in pain. Like a frightened animal, the man scrambled to his knees to escape and again met another encounter with the pole. Cloud stayed at his spot, completely uninterested in the violent act._

_Again and again, Sephiroth slammed the pole onto the defenseless man, blood splattering all over the ground. The man's cries fell on deaf ears as it echoed through the empty parking lot. Cloud became irritated, but kept to his spot, just waiting for the game to be over. Finally, this unfortunate man could no longer try to avoid the blows, and lay still, helpless the rain of blows. The pole was now slightly bent. _

_Pleased that his target was no longer moving, Sephiroth raised the pole, prepared to end it all. Before he could, Cloud walked up beside him with a gun and fired three shots, putting the man out of his misery. Sephiroth began to sulk that his 'fun' was over. He looked over at Cloud in annoyance._

"_Kid!" he shouted. "Doesn't the word enjoyment mean anything to you?"_

_Cloud walked back to his books and put everything away: Textbook, pencils, papers, and gun._

"_You take the word lightly," Cloud answered. "Beating a defenseless **human** to death is not fun ... besides, didn't Madame Luciano say we had to get back a certain time…for Lucy's birthday party. Do you remember now? Lucy's turning twenty-one today."_

_Sephiroth cringed nervously. The birthday party had completely slipped his mind. Cloud pulled out a wrapped present with a ribbon on it._

"_I even remembered to bring a present from South America," Cloud continued. "You forget to get yours, eh?"_

_Sephiroth began to laugh nervously._

"_Ha-ha! Seph forgot to get a present! Lucy's gonna kick your arse!"_

_Sephiroth gritted his teeth in anger._

"_Relax," Cloud teased. "We have three hours…let's get one right now…slacker."_

"Cloud?" Shera said. "What's wrong with you? You look pale…are you phasing out again?"

Cloud smacked his forehead as the surge of pain coursed through his head again.

"No…that can't be right…that never happened!"

Shera gave him a light shake, and Cloud calmed down.

"What are you talking about?" Shera asked. "What never happened?"

"I don't know…"

Shera sighed and returned to her chair at the table. Her eyes were filled with worry.

"This is the second time today, cuz…are you sure you're not sick or something?"

"I got shot in the head a few days ago, remember? Lots of people like us have been shot in the head and experience some delusions made up of jumbled up, spliced memories. That's probably what's wrong…it's no big deal, Shera. Stop worrying."

Shera shook her head and sipped her café mocha. "Whatever you say, Cloud."

Nevertheless, Cloud stared at his drink, not wanting to have anymore.

"_I can think of them as delusions," Cloud thought, "but somehow…I still can't ignore them. Maybe something really **is **wrong with me."_

"Hey!"

Cloud turned and saw Tifa walking towards their table.

"May I be excused?" Cloud teased.

Shera still felt worried, but she sucked it up and waved, giving her 'approval'.

----------

"What do you want?" Cloud asked. "You are supposed to pretend that I'm not here."

Tifa grabbed his arm and walked faster, away from the hotel.

"Thanks for saving me yesterday," Tifa said. "But next time, be more discreet! You got Reno paranoid now!"

"Well excuse me for wanting to save a damsel in distress."

Tifa rolled her eyes.

"I called Shera about it too," Tifa continued. "She saw you do it…she also had a hypothesis that you did it out of jealousy…"

Cloud's face went crimson red and he turned away in the knick of time.

"That's Shera for you," he replied. "Always coming up with the most ridiculous things!"

"_Note to self, Cloud. Keep your cousin in the dark about everything that you do personally. Discretion!"_

Tifa stopped and leaned over the small fence to look at the ocean.

"Ah!" she cried. "It's so pretty!"

"Marlene would love to see this," Cloud said soberly.

Tifa fell out of her happy mood and stared at Cloud with sympathy. Forget dancing…Cloud should have become an actor.

"You're anxious?" Tifa asked.

"Anxious and scared out of my wits," Cloud answered.

* * *

Goodbye! 


	3. When Is the Enemy Not The Enemy?

Chapter Three...sorry for making Tifa seem like a wimp...I got carried away. So, I formed a little apology...

* * *

Lucy heard the ever annoying sound of her ring tone. 

"I've got to change this tune when I get the chance."

She flipped her cell phone open and answered.

"Hello…speaking?"

"Ah! Lucy, dear…I haven't heard your voice in so long."

Lucy smiled and sat down on the couch in her room.

"Madame Luciano," she replied back. "Oh, it's so good to hear from you."

On the other end, Jenova strolled through a pathway between her vineyards. Like a lioness stalking her prey, her steps were relaxed yet calculating all the same. The "workers" of the vineyard cut away at the stems that yielded the precious fruit. In more than two weeks, most were fated to become wine, while the rest were for eating or selling.

"How well is your status?" Jenova asked. "Is Blue Lotus interfering with our plans? Is Gerald catching wise? And what of our secret?"

"No," Lucy replied. "They're still completely ignorant…and they're not even close to finding out…our secret."

"The secret is all I truly care about."

Lucy pressed the cell between her shoulder and ear. She reached for a glass of wine on the table. As she listened to Madame Luciano, she sipped the wine and immediately cringed.

"How disgusting," Lucy whispered.

"What?"

"The complimentary wine I received at the hotel," Lucy explained. "It tastes putrid compared to the wine from your grapes."

Lucy heard a heart laugh come across the line.

"My wine tastes better than the grapes that which they come from...it reminds me...of you, my dear. You are exactly like the wine...as is Sephiroth...as is Cloud...as are the others."

Jenova heard Lucy hum in understanding. Oh...how Lucy missed the wine.

"Can you send me a bottle or two?" Lucy asked. "I want to have some while I'm here. I don't like working for Gerald...I hate pretending to be ignorant...I didn't care for torturing old man Shinra...for information. After all, we already know the secret...it was a waste of energy!"

"But you failed to find out where the samples were hidden," Jenova corrected.

Lucy slumped on the couch, finally remembering. The samples were also the priority.

"Darn! I forgot that. The stupid samples!"

"It's alright dear," Jenova said soothingly. "It's no big deal...the samples do not matter. Sephiroth is taking care of his half of the job. Your job is to keep the secret a secret. Can you do that for me Lucy, dear?"

"Yes...mother dear..."

----------

Tifa trudged back to the hotel, alone. Her fists clenched and unclenched at her sides, and her teeth were gnashing.

"The nerve!" she snarled. "One minute we're talking...he answers the phone...and then tells me to kindly leave. What's the matter with him?"

Tifa passed by an alley way and suddenly felt her jacket being grabbed. The hand tugged her roughly in, and Tifa found herself encountering thugs. They spoke in the only language that they knew: Chinese.

"Hello their, pretty lady," said one of the thugs.

He grabbed Tifa's arm and she scowled in annoyance.

"Don't worry...as long as you give us the money, we won't..."

His face quickly made contact with her fist. He went flying backwards, into the arms of second thug. The third thug, who happened to be very overweight, charged her with a metal pole.

"You stupid little..."

In return, Tifa ran towards him, leapt up, and kneed him under the chin. After the "mountain" fell, Tifa triumphantly left her foot rest on the thug's stomach. She took the pole from his fingers and pointed it at the remaining thug, who still had his friend in his arms, groaning.

"Ya feel like mugging me now?" Tifa asked in Chinese. "You really caught me in a bad mood!"

The thug shook his head frantically. Without another word, he scrambled away from the alley, with his heavy load.

"I feel so much better now," Tifa said to herself. "I haven't fought like that in ages."

Behind her, someone began to clap. Tifa twirled around, and Sephiroth was there, walking towards her and putting his hands together.

"So Little Miss Tifa Lockhart isn't useless after all," he said mockingly. "But you have such a bad temper. What on earth does Cloud see in you? He has a strange taste in girlfriends."

Her mood turned soar again. A vein was popping on her forehead.

"He picks up weird acquaintances like you," Tifa added. "Sleazy..."

Sephiroth scowled and stared at her as if he was about to strike her with lightning. Instead, he laughed at her.

"I say...you do well with comebacks...but that's Cloud's style. Are you picking up his habits?"

Tifa stared, wide-eyed with horror. "N-no...Cloud and I are nothing alike..."

"How cute," Sephiroth cried. "You two are more bonded than I thought...maybe Cloud's choice wasn't so bad after all."

The obese thug stirred under Tifa, and she struck his neck with her other foot...out like a light once more.

"You have it all wrong! WE. ARE. JUST. FRIENDS!"

"Calm down, Miss Lockhart. I'm not talking about the present...I speak of the future."

Tifa raised her eyebrows in confusion. Sephiroth cleared his throat.

"I'm not here to tease you though," he continued. "I just wanted to say: "Take care of Cloud, will ya?"

Her face softened. Her eyes blinked over and over again. Take care of Cloud? Take care of 'Cloud'. Couldn't he take care of himself?

"After he rescues his sister," he went on, "The Blue Lotus...the Triads...getting back to NYC...will be the least of his worries. Don't let him make a fool of himself."

Sephiroth grinned and turned around to leave.

"And where the hell are you going?" Tifa asked.

"To prepare," he replied while walking away. "Cloud and I will be having a 'discussion' this evening."

As quickly as he came, Sephiroth was gone. Tifa stood still in puzzlement.

"What just happened here?"

----------

The Fu Shan Chu of the Triads carefully shaved himself clean in front of the mirror. Humming a Chinese hymn, he finished the last spot and began to rinse his razor. Then, to his alarm, the distant sound of a machine gun shot caught his ear. He turned off the water, and stepped out of his bathroom, into his office. The gunshots were real.

His right hand man, Yung Min burst into the room and was relieved that his master was alright.

"Hurry!" Min cried. "The Shan Chu has discovered are activities! He's killing us! We must flee!"

The Deputy Master wasted no time. He rushed to the escape window and unlocked it.

----------

The office was smashed to make way for the black suited Hung Kwan, the soldiers. Three went in while rest pursued more targets. The office and bathroom were empty, and the window had been closed from the outside.

"The rat got away...but not for long!"

They left the room and continued to search the hall, constantly turning their heads, running, jogging and leaping to different directions. They came to an iron, code-locked door, where another "soldier" hard at work. They surrounded her, standing watch as she took out something out of her bag and placed it onto the code-key. She stepped back, with a remote in her hand and pressed it. Electricity and sparks came off of the code-key and the system unlocked. The female soldier opened the door, and Marlene was clinging toYuffie for comfort. The woman smiled with the triumph of girl power and grabbed her bag. The soldier walked toward them, and Marlene scooted closer to the other side of the bed in distrust. She stopped at the bed and dropped the bag on it. She pulled out a large water bottle and offered it to Yuffie. Yuffie looked at it suspiciously, took the bottle, quickly unscrewed it, and smelled.

"If we wanted to kill you," the woman said, "We would not need any poison to do it."

"You have a point," Yuffie retorted.

----------

The grand master of the Triads answered his intercom phone with anxiousness. As usual, his secretary was on the other line.

"Sir, it's the Hung Kwan squad."

"Put them on line, then."

The tone changed and clicked. The female leader of the squad greeted him with respect.

"What happened?" he asked.

"We found the two captives," she answered. "We're taking care of them right now."

"And Huang Fa, the Fu Shan Chu? What of him?"

The woman paused on the phone. Her hesitation told the young grand master everything.

"He eluded us," he said quietly. "We'll pursue him later...but for now...let us go on to the task at hand..."

* * *

Until next time... 


	4. You're MY Cousin?

Sorry for the long update...

_

* * *

Ferris Valentine finally found the elevators. He stopped running and caught his breathe, completely sure that he had lost his pursuers. He pushed the elevator button and stepped back to wait. Ferris glanced at the black, duffel bag hanging off his shoulders and grinned. A whimper came from the bag, and Ferris buried his fist into it._

"_Shut up! No one's coming to help you!"_

_Above him, a ceiling vent tile was quietly being removed. The elevator bell rang, signaling the doors to open. Ferris sighed in relief and step forward to go into the elevator. In a split second, his eyes caught sight of a fine thread-like object darting in front of his face. His eyes widened in realization, but the fine wire wrapped around his neck to fast. The ends of the wire, with its handles, were pulled away from each other, and Ferris choked desperately. Already knowing what he had to do, Ferris reluctantly lowered the bag to the floor by its strap. More pitiful whimpers came from it. He almost wished to kick at the bag in contempt of his attacker, but he knew better. His hand reached and touched the thin wire, hoping to untangle it from his neck. The wire was then pulled tighter. He titled his head back, on reflex, and saw the woman, hanging upside down from the opened vented ceiling, with her fingers clutched around the handles._

"_I could do away from you right now, and I wouldn't lose any sleep on it either…Ferris Valentine!"_

_With cruel swiftness, the woman tightened the wire, and a series of pitiful attempts to breathe came out of Ferris' mouth. In vain, he frantically tried to escape._

The hotel phone cut in, quickly waking Cloud up from his doze. In relief, he picked up the phone and answered.

"Speaking?"

"Hello," a man answered in Chinese. "It's me… I spoke with you this afternoon."

"And?"

"They are safe and in our hands…even as we speak."

Cloud heard a low, weary breathe through the phone.

"My father was right!" he continued. "You can't trust anyone…I've know him since I was a child…And now…I find out that he's been doing this all along…"

"But that's what you get for being a criminal," Cloud answered.

"I suppose so…"

The caller paused for moment and thought carefully about he was going to say next. He asked Cloud if he had a pen and paper handy.

"Do not worry about the kidnappers," he said. "We already have someone who is taking care of the matter…he could not possibly be crazy enough to cause more trouble...he'll already have enough on his own hands…but just in case…you will meet my men at the 5431 Tu Lein Fei…located a few miles from your hotel…be there in two hours... We have your sister and the young lady there."

"Do I come alone?" Cloud asked.

"Most preferably not…bring Shera Crescent too. If you must, bring one the **ignorant** travelers too…if any of them are close to the young lady…but choose wisely. Whatever you do, do not let your friend, Cid, accompany you. You will be separated from them for a while…one my more knowledgeable men will need to speak to you in private."

The young Shan Chu heard a chuckle come from the other line.

"Why is a man like you helping a man like me?"

"Because I owe a lot to you, my friend."

"I…I don't understand…."

"Of course you don't."

The phone was hung up without any formal good-bys, leaving him confused. It was almost cryptic. You don't understand why you can trust something you know you shouldn't trust, and yet you feel that you should trust them anyway?

"I don't know anything anymore," he declared, half-amused.

----------

Tifa stared at a picture of herself and Yuffie when they were teenagers. Gingerly, she let her finger slide across Yuffie's happy face and took a deep breathe.

"Yuffie…you better be okay…I can't lose you…not like him…"

She placed the picture on the nightstand and walked the towards the glass doors of her room. Tifa grabbed the curtains and closed them. A knock came at her door, and she darted over. Wisely, Tifa looked through the peephole and saw Shera standing at the door. Tifa opened the door and greeted her warmly.

"Shera? Why are you here?"

Tifa noticed the Shera was wearing a coat.

"Are you going out?" Tifa asked.

"**We **are going out," Shera said sharply. "Get ready!"

In baffled obedience, Tifa opened her closet and got out a jacket and high heels. Shera ventured into the room and made smacking noises with her mouth.

"Such a tiny room," Shera commented. "Cloud and I are staying in a three-roomed suite…with a living room and dining room to boot!"

Tifa slipped into her heels as she listened.

"You spoiled rich kids," Tifa mumbled. "I can't believe you two…letting us stay in these small rooms…and getting a big one for yourselves!"

Shera giggled and sat at the edge of the bed. She watched Tifa slip into her jacket and button up the top.

"Don't hate us cuz you ain't us," Shera crooned. "Beside, Marlene will feel happier to come to a nice room. And we won't cause attention by trying to book Yuffie a room either."

"You say that as if their safety is set in stone," Tifa retorted gloomily.

Shera got up and made a gesture to leave the room. Tifa turned off the lamp by her bed, and they went out the door together.

"It isn't exactly...but their definitely out of the lion's mouth…we're going to pick them up right now."

Tifa's jaw dropped in shock.

"T-t-their okay? J-just like that?"

Shera nodded with an agreeable look on her face and shrugged her shoulders. Tifa gave her a skeptical stare with a hint of fear and anxiousness, and Shera returned an assuring face.

"How?" Tifa asked.

"Ask Cloud. He knows better than I do."

Tifa groaned and become more uneasy.

"Are you sure that Cloud is…reliable?"

"Why do you ask that?" Shera questioned. "I think he's pretty dependable."

Tifa shook her head and waved her hand in the air.

"Oh," Shera said. "I understand you…it's the way he carries himself."

"I know about all the humanoids and this Sci-Fi junk…I can comprehend that. It's just that a part of me is skeptical…maybe I'm just worried about Yuffie…but I don't know how to take him seriously…I feel unstable around him sometimes…and he doesn't tell me anything…or at least very little."

"I know what you mean…but don't worry…for as long as I can remember…I've known that I can trust his judgment…"

Memories flashed her head. Shera suddenly stopped walking down the hall. Tifa quickly noticed, stopped, and stood in front of her.

"Shera?"

_The prison yard was chaos. The screams of terrified and dying men and gunshots filled the air like an acid-hued symphony. Around her, Shera saw several dead prison guards and prisoners. Shera herself, with a gun handy, was shootingdown anyone she saw. It was like an amusing video game to her. She stopped firing for a moment and looked around, curious to see how everything was going. They were winning._

"Shera?!" Tifa said desperately.

"We have all… been led here."

Tifa watched as Shera held her head in pain; her eyes were dilated. Tifa put her hands on Shera's shoulders.

"Shera," she said restlessly. "What are you talking about?"

"You and me," Shera continued, "Reno…Vincent…Cloud…Yuffie…Marlene…we all have something in common…that's why…"

Shera shoved Tifa away from her and frantically continued down the hall.

"C-come on," she shouted. "My c-cousin's waiting downstairs…"

"Shera!"

Shera did not answer. She made it to the elevator first and pushed the button. Immediately, the doors slid open, and Tifa barely made it in after her. It was a slightly long ride down, so they had a moment of silence. Tifa looked at Shera from the corner of her eye and saw an unmoving, almost emotionless woman.

"Shera…"

"Please don't tell him," Shera interrupted. "Don't tell my cousin anything…about what just happened there. I've already gotten Scarlet in a tizzy…that's why she insisted on coming with me to America. But please…don't tell Cloud anything…he has too much to worry about right now…and I think that the same thing may be happening to him too…"

Tifa was rendered speechless. Shera turned to her and gave her a stern look.

"I'm serious! You mustn't mention a word to him…or anyone for that matter. You must pretend that you never saw what happened to me. You saw nothing…right?"

Tifa shook her head and Shera sighed in relief. The elevator stopped, letting more passengers in. Tifa barely saw them; her mind was in a sea of chaos.

----------

_Miss Scarlet Crescent,_

_If you are reading this letter, it means that I am no longer alive. It is my duty to inform you of the impending **danger** that lies ahead for your sister, Miss Shera Crescent, and your cousin, Mr. Cloud Strife. _

_As you are already aware, because of unknown and unforeseen circumstances, your sister is starting to remember much of her past. That we can tolerate. However, I fear very much your cousin is also in peril of **remembering**; that would become a **disaster**. I cannot tell you very much, for I do not know very much, but what I know for sure is that Mr. Strife must not leave the country. Leaving America will only make him more accessible to the Triads, the Blue Lotus, and more unspeakable, Madame Jenova de **Luciano**._

_Luciano has far more connections in Europe and Asia than she does in America and has more unwavering loyalty from the Triads than other crime syndicate. If she manages to get her hands on our two endangered, whatever she does to them will not be reversible. This must never happen, especially for Mr. Strife._

_Along with this letter, I have given the liberty of inclosing **three** glass tubes. It is a serum that Mr. Strife and Miss Shera must be treated with **as soon as possible**. It serves as an antidote against anything the Luciano may try to give them. Treat them with my serum as soon as possible, preferably by **deceit** (I don't like that, but we have **NO** choice). If, for some unpredicted reason, Mr. Strife does leave the country before you receive this letter, **follow** him and treat him **immediately**. **DO NOT WAIT!** If, God forbid, you are too late, I fear that every one of us involved will be left to bleed one way or another._

_Sincere regards,_

_Rufus Shinra_

Juusang read over the wretched document with confusion. She was brought out of the letter by the loud rustling of clothes in Scarlet's closet.

"I hate being the eldest."

A few seconds later, Scarlet came out of her closet and threw a few random suits on her bed, right next to Juusang. The bed was already cluttered with clothes. She hastily went back to the closet for more.

"I have no time to choose the right things."

"What's going on around here?!" Juusang asked. "The Triads…serums…and who's Madame Luciano? What's going on in this family?!"

Scarlet came back with a small suitcase and began to stuff it with her things.

"It's complicated, kid," Scarlet answered. "I barely know anything myself. All I know is that I've got to get to Taiwan…pronto!"

"What am I gonna do here? Just sit around while all of you do God-knows-what?"

Scarlet slammed the suitcase shut, and Juusang flinched in terror.

"Think of yourself as the mistress of the household for a few days," Scarlet said. "As for me, I'm out of here."

"What am I gonna tell Barret and the maids when they find out you're gone?" Juusang asked.

"Pretend that you don't know a thing."

Scarlet lifted the suitcase of the bed and pulled up the roller handle.

"Help me sneak this to a car, will ya?"

Juusang rolled her eyes and did as she was told.

----------

"Oh goody," Tifa said sarcastically. "More hotels."

All three stood at the counter of the receptionist's desk; Tifa was in between. Shera felt her cell vibrate against her hip. She pulled it up, saw that it was her sister, and reluctantly flipped it open.

"Scarlet?"

Tifa watched as Cloud immediately tensed up on hearing that name. Shera listened to her sister's rambling for a moment and then handed Cloud her phone, reaching in front of Tifa.

"She wants to talk to you," Shera said.

A few seconds passed, with a long groan, and Cloud received the phone.

"Yeah?"

"Is that how you greet your cousin?" Scarlet asked.

"What do you want, Scarlet?! I don't have much time…"

"I found a piece of gum in my hair after you hugged me good-bye the other day. Very mature, Cloud."

The phone cut its connection, and Cloud was able to relax again. He handed Shera her phone.

"How strange," Cloud said, "that a woman like you would end up with a sister like that."

"I have a cousin like you," Shera replied. "That's already weird enough."

Shera saw her cousin's wide-eyed response and laughed. Tifa watched Shera with worried eyes.

----------

Yuffie was lying unconscious on the bed when Tifa saw her. Her complexion was paler than usual, making the cuts on her lip and face more visible. Yuffie was nestled underneath the covers like a young toddler deep in sleep, except for her arm that lay free on top of the covers. As Tifa watched over her beloved friend, she felt a revealed, yet maternal weariness.

"Yuffie…"

Gently, Tifa sat at the edge of the bed. The free hand beckoned for Tifa to take it tenderly, and she did just that.

In the hall, Cloud made sure to keep out of Yuffie's sight, while Shera let herself be exposed. The Asian woman, leader of the Triad soldiers, looked upon the spectacle of pure emotion with none of her own.

"Marlene is in different part of the hotel," she whispered. "Follow me."

Shera started to follow after her cousin, but Cloud stopped her.

"Stay here just in case."

Shera pouted but went back into the room. She began something about Cloud hogging Marlene to himself. The door was shut loudly, and Tifa turned back to see that Cloud was not there. Tifa breathed until her bangs her off of her forehead. Yuffie stirred and woke up from the noise.

"_There he goes again," Tifa thought. "Why do I have a really bad feeling about this?"_

"Hey," Yuffie whispered weakly.

Sympathetically, she looked at bruise on Yuffie's face. Tifa lightly brushed her hand against her friend's cheek, who shut her eyes tightly on reflex.

"I expected you to get a few cuts or bruises," Tifa said. "But I didn't think that it would be this bad. Did they torture you?"

"A little," Yuffie answered weakly, "but they figured out that I didn't have what they needed."

Tifa took her hand away. Yuffie struggled to sit up on her own, so Tifa supported her.

"By the way," Yuffie continued. "Have you heard of something called the Farfalle Velenose?"

The name struck Tifa like lightning. The name was familiar but not enough to be remembered directly.

"Farfalle Velenose…I think I may have heard that name from somewhere."

"Did you just say the Farfalle Velenose?"

All of the armed men stared at Yuffie as if she were a leper. Her eyes were wide with embarrassment, wondering if she had asked a taboo question. Soon, the armed men were talking loudly amongst themselves in Chinese. Yuffie was not well versed in the language, Tifa was decent, and Shera was fluent.

"I've heard some scary rumors about the F.V.," said one of them. "Some have told me that those among them are possessed."

"I've heard that the family that originally founded them practiced vampirism!"

One of the men scoffed and argued that it was probably just a patched up rumor. The third man chimed in and told his companions that he had heard that some of the Farfalle Velenose were middle and high school students that you saw everyday. The other two cursed and were horrified at the very notion that a twelve-year-old child in a school uniform had a weapon hidden on them. Yuffie sat in bed, lost in translation, while the other two women weren't sure what to make of it all.

---------

The bar and restaurant of the hotel was closed off to guests that night. A private party was going on amongst a group of people, some well distinguished, while others were flagrantly gauche. Amongst the laughing, shouting, and chatter, Marlene sat at the bar, her feet nearly touching the rail. She wore a pardoning gift from the Triads, an authentic, silk, white, Chinese dress with her bangs held up by a mother-of-pearl pin. Her blasé attitude towards the party was obvious; her elbows were on the counter with her hands holding up her head. The bartender offered her a drink (non-alcoholic of course), but she shook her head without a verbal answer.

Marlene had sat away from the people, wanting to be alone, and she felt annoyed when she "felt" someone sitting next to her.

"Mum and dad never took you to Taiwan," he said. "What a way to get introduced to the country."

Marlene recognized her brother's voice, and she quickly adopted a new, enthusiastic attitude.

"Missed me?" Cloud asked.

Marlene pretended to become scornful with him and turned up her nose. She crossed her arms and turned the other cheek.

"You're late," she muttered.

"Sorry..."

Marlene finally gave in and latched herself onto her brother. Instinctively, Cloud ran his fingers through her hair.

"It was really scary," she said. "But for some reason, I felt that everything was going to be okay."

"And why was that?"

"It felt familiar," Marlene replied. "Like déjà vu or something."

Cloud mentally flinched in confusion. Mai discreetly walked over and nudged him on the shoulder.

"If you please," she said politely. "My husband wishes to have and audience with you."

Marlene stayed stuck to her older brother like glue when they left the bar. As they passed through the tables, certain guests averted their eyes and saw nothing.

----------

A certain woman stood in front of her parked car and looked up at hotel in its tall stature. She gritted her teeth and snarled at someone who was not there. She turned around and locked her car, walking away at the mechanical chirping sound. With the walk of a vexed businesswoman, she reigned herself in.

"Stupid Seph," Lucy muttered. "Why does he get to go first? What a jerk! He always hogged Cloud!"

The parking lot still had a few people making their way to the elevators. She joined several people, much to her dismay, into the small area, and mentally cursed some more. Lucy hated crowds.

----------

"Good evening, Mr. Strife. Having a pleasant stay in Taipei?"

Respectively, the Shan Chu and Cloud bowed to each other. Cloud noticed a person sitting in the corner. Casually, Sephiroth raised his hand in a salute with a smile, without looking away from the ground. Marlene stared curiously at him and began to rub her chin. She walked towards him, trustingly, and Sephiroth acknowledged her playfully.

"Hey, babydoll," he said. "You used to be shorter."

"Who are you?" Marlene asked.

Sephiroth nearly did the anime fall onto the floor.

"I am Sephiroth," he said slowly. "We first met when you were four."

"It doesn't really ring a bell," Marlene said cheerfully, "but I guess I'll call you Seph-chan. Sephiroth's to wordy for me."

Poor Sephiroth groaned and held his head in agony. Cloud stared at the spectacle with amusement and uneasiness.

"_She never remembers me," Sephiroth thought gloomily._

"_I don't remember her meeting him at all," Cloud thought with horror._

The sound of the clank on a table quickly caught everyone's attention. Mai unlocked the safety lock on the briefcase and pulled it wide open. The Shan Chu overlooked the contents of the briefcase and beckoned Cloud to come closer. Inside, Cloud saw six strange objects: a gold pocket watch, a cross pendant with Jesus Christ carved on it, a twin pair of silver pistols, an English pocket knife, a thing with buttons that looked like a bracelet, and a picture of a strange woman with platinum blonde hair. All were different from the other, but they were strangely familiar to him. Forgetting himself, Cloud reached out to touch the cross pendant but took his hand back.

"Go ahead; examine them. They belong to you after all."

Sephiroth stood behind him unobtrusively. He glanced at the items, then Cloud, and then at the items again. Cloud hesitated for a moment but then took the Crucifix pendant out. With a closer look, the pendant turned out to be made of pure silver. A Latin word was etched above the Blessed head.

"Keep that on you at all times," Sephiroth commanded. "Preferably hidden if you can."

Obediently, Cloud slid the pendant in his jacket pocket. He went onto another item: the pocket knife. He slid the blade out and tested the sharpness.

"_Cloud…Madame Luciano needs you."_

_It was late fall on the grounds of Madame Luciano's estate. As he spoke, all Lucy noticed was a young girl in a sweater and shorts, deep in a book. She looked around, and was startled to see three dead bodies, lying in their own blood, in the courtyard. Back in the girl form, sixteen-year-old Cloud casually sat at the stone bench, reading the book._

"_I'll be there in a minute," he answered. "I'm almost done with this chapter."_

_Lucy noticed Cloud's pocket knife on the bench, opened and soiled with blood._

"_Who were they?" she asked._

"_Some weird assassins who wanted to kill Madame Luciano," Cloud replied in a nonchalant manner. "They thought that I was just a normal kid, so they began to talk smack to me. One of them even pulled my hair…hard. So, I lost my temper."_

_Lucy pulled out a piece of leather cloth, took the dirty knife, and cleaned it._

"_Marciano's not gonna like this, kiddo. She doesn't like bloodshed on her property unless it is necessary."_

"_You and Seph-chan do it all the time," the teenager argued. "And it happened to be very necessary. I don't like people trying to harm the Madame..."_

_He still did not look up from the book._

"_Seph-chan and I are adults," she scolded. _

_Lucy closed the pocket knife and handed it back to Cloud, who put it away into his pocket with a free hand. He dog-eared his last page and closed the book. Like a person who had just woken up, Cloud yawned and stretched._

"_The "workers" can take care of the bodies?" Cloud asked._

_Lucy saw the book on the bench and grabbed the book without permission. He realized that it was the bible and shook his head in disbelief. He flipped over to the dog-eared and saw that it was on Psalms 9._

"_You're completely obsessed with the Psalms," she said. "You've been reading it over and over again for the past three months. Even stranger, you've been reading it in foreign languages. Are you looking for something?"_

_The supposed girl was taken aback. The question made him feel uncomfortable._

"_I don't know. I just have to read it."_

"Something troubles you, Mr. Strife?"

Cloud nervously put the pocket knife back into the briefcase. Marlene sat quietly away from the adults, finding it hard to mind her own business. The door creaked open, and a very angry Lucy Skandon stepped into the room, catching everyone's attention. Her hostility towards Sephiroth was similar to a blazing campfire just doused with bacon grease.

"What the heck is with that look?" Sephiroth asked.

Lucy carelessly tossed a small bag to Sephiroth. He panicked and nearly dropped the bag of fragile contents, and then growled while Lucy's back was turned to him.

"Big brother is strict, yes?" Lucy asked.

"He's more like a mom than a brother," Marlene answered.

A snicker was heard, followed by a smack on the back of the head and a cry of pain. Lucy and Marlene brought their attention to Sephiroth, who was rubbing the back of his head. He looked wearily at Cloud, who was pouting at the floor like an annoyed elementary student. Lucy stifled a laugh.

"Who are you?" Marlene asked Lucy.

"I gave you that geisha doll when you turned five."

"I don't remember," Marlene replied remorsefully.

Marlene scratched her head in frustration and racked her brain. Mai, who stood forgotten in the corner of the room with her husband, began to chortle in amusement of the chaos that was about to ensue.

"This is going to be very interesting," she whispered to her husband.

The Shan Chu nodded with a mischievous grin on his face. "Yes…this will be fun."

Marlene nearly forgot to breathe.

"Oh my God!" she shouted, in a valley-girl tone of voice. "Lucy! I can't believe it! It's you! I couldn't recognize you; I was six when we last saw each other. Hey, Cloud…it's Lucy! Don't you remember her, Cloud?"

Sephiroth glanced over and saw the shock on Cloud's face. The confusion in his eyes were entertaining, in a strange sort of way.

"Now that you remember Lucy," Sephiroth said hopefully, "Do you remember me?"

"Nope."

Sephiroth scowled and looked away.

"Stop leering," Lucy scolded. "It makes you look ugly…oh, wait…you already are."

Violent, graphic thoughts went through "Seph-chan's" head. Lucy walked past him and snatched the bag that she had tossed to him. As she pulled out her things from the bag, Sephiroth began to make obscene hand gestures and faces behind her back. As the two misfits were busy, Cloud walked over to his sister.

"Marlene…how do you know these people?"

"Lucy's part of the family," Marlene answered in surprise. "Don't you know that?"

"Pray tell," Mai interrupted. "Why **don't **you remember?"

While Cloud tried to contemplate the question, Lucy was busy adjusting a syringe. She carefully took a vile and extracted a substance from it. She looked back, signaling Sephiroth to make his move. Quietly, he snuck up behind Cloud, and caught him in a wrestling hold. Naturally, Cloud struggled to get away, but Sephiroth managed to pin him to the floor on his stomach and pulled his arms behind his back. Marlene watched in horror and went to help her brother, feeble as it may have been, but Mai quickly grabbed her.

"Cloud!"

"Forget that you are being pinned down to floor so savagely," the Shan Chu said calmly, "And honestly answer all of my questions."

Cloud gritted his teeth and slowly stopped struggling.

"Mr. Strife…as my wife already asked: Who do you not remember your relations to Miss Skandon?"

"I-I-I…"

Lucy was done with the syringe. She walked over, with the medical device visible in her hand, and sighed.

"Why do you not remember your relations to Miss Skandon?" he asked again.

"I…I don't know…"

Lucy looked away with a sad, tired look on her face. "Of course not."

"Next question," the Shan Chu continued. "After the unfortunate death of your parents, what exactly did you do during that December?"

"Mourning…what else?"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

The questioner shook his head and went on.

"Do you remember the importance of that cross in the briefcase?"

"I didn't know it even existed," Cloud answered.

He began to struggle again, and Sephiroth tightened his grip. Marlene began to whimper in fear. Mai comforted her and rubbed her on the shoulder.

"It's okay," she whispered. "We mean no harm."

"Can you identify a woman named Madame Luciano?"

A long pause.

"A woman from Tuscany," Cloud answered. "She lives on an estate and owns a large vineyard."

Lucy turned from gloomy to cheerful in two seconds.

"Ah!" the Shan Chu cried. "So you finally have a straight answer. Tell me, how do you know that?"

"It's difficult to explain…I…I…I just know."

The young Shan Chu became more amused than ever. Lucy knelt down and began to wipe alcohol on Cloud's neck with a cotton swab.

"One last question…when I mention the words Farfalle Velenose, what are your first thoughts?"

"What is that?" Cloud asked.

The Shan Chu rubbed his chin and smiled again.

"I see," he said. "So…it's that bad."

"Huh?"

Lucy quickly jabbed the needle into the victim's neck. Cloud cringed at a slight burning sensation. Sephiroth finally let him go.

"The effects are slightly traumatizing," Lucy warned.

Cloud tried to get up and suddenly clutched his chest in pain. It became difficult to breathe, and his heart began to beat faster and his vision was becoming blurred.

"Don't try to get up!" Lucy commanded.

It wouldn't have mattered whether she said it or not because Cloud couldn't get up. His whole body was filled with a numbing pain. He felt arms suddenly wrap around him.

"Just stay still and let it pass," Lucy whispered quietly.

Everything went black.

----------

"I don't like it," Shera said. "He's been gone too long."

Shera leaned on the door and twiddled her thumbs nervously. Tifa nodded gruffly in assent.

"This is a large hotel," a guard said. "It may have been a long walk…you never know."

"Can we contact them just in case?" Tifa asked.

"We don't have that kind of power."

Sighing, Tifa took Yuffie's hand once again as she slept.

"_I still have a bad feeling."_

----------

Upon waking up, Cloud wished that he was still unconscious. A loud argument was already ensuing.

"I hope you didn't put too much in him," Sephiroth said. "An excessive amount could make him sick."

"With your handiwork," Lucy replied. "You'd knock him dead…literally."

Lucy looked down and noticed that Cloud was finally awake.

"Sorry," Lucy said apologetically. "We thought that you wouldn't have trusted us if we had just asked to stick a needle in you."

"How long have I been out?" Cloud asked.

"Five minutes."

Still dizzy, he realized that Lucy's lap was his pillow. He recoiled in horror and sat up quickly. The low blood pressure quickly got to his head. He recovered and looked around the room and saw Marlene staring at him curiously and smiling in relief. He also noticed Sephiroth, kneeling near him.

"How you doing, kid?"

Cloud suddenly recalled how Sephiroth had pinned him down. Two seconds later, Sephiroth was recovering from a swift blow in the face.

"How come I get a smacked around?!" Sephiroth yelled. "Lucy was the one who stuck the freaking needle."

Cloud shrugged his shoulders and said that it didn't seem right to hit a woman. Lucy unceremoniously wrapped her arms around him and squeezed herself close, to the point that her breasts were too close. Cloud literally squealed for help.

"Ah," Lucy cooed. "Isn't he chivalrous?"

"You and I are definitely not related!" Cloud shouted.

"Incest!" Sephiroth coughed out.

Lucy glared at him in contempt, not loosing her grip.

"I'm not incestuous!" she replied. "I'm just doting and affectionate."

"Whatever, kissing cousin,"Sephiroth muttered.

"Kissing cousin! What are you? Six?"

"No," Sephiroth retorted, "That's your IQ, blondie!"

"_I resent that!" Cloud thought._

Mai had long stopped restraining Marlene and was thoroughly enjoying the bickering. Marlene was bewildered by the hostility. The Shan Chu smiled and watched as if they were his own family.

"Don't you just feel the love?" he said to Mai.

"You're sick," Marlene replied.

The bickering went on, and the two participants completely forgot that Cloud was directly between them. A vein popped in his neck.

"Are you two finished yet?!" Cloud asked.

The misfits stopped yelling and remembered what was going on.

"My God," Cloud continued. "What's wrong with you two? Can't you agree for just one minute?!"

"Sorry," Lucy said quietly. "It's not my fault that Seph's such an idiot…"

"At least I'm don't have a crush on my cousin!" Sephiroth muttered.

"Knock it off!"

Lucy and Sephiroth were silent once more. Radically, Cloud grabbed Sephiroth's hair and mock-examined it.

"Your hair is silver, Seph…that's considered platinum blonde…so I wouldn't be talking about IQ's and blondies if I were you."

Lucy snickered in triumph, but her turn was next.

"And Miss Skandon," Cloud continued. "Maybe if you weren't so clingly to your relatives…if I really am…let along your male relatives…maybe Sephiroth over hear wouldn't think that you were interested in your own kin. You are both in the wrong. Your arguments are pointless. It's rather annoying too. To make a long story short…SHUT UP AND GET ALONG!"

Cloud stopped and began to wonder why he was even mediating. Marlene watched with admiration and surprise. Another flood of lightheadedness hit, and Cloud became dizzy again.

"_So that's why Madame Luciano grouped them together," the Shan Chu thought. "The elders bicker and fuss, and the younger, more mature one keeps them in line…"_

"What did you shoot me up with anyway?" Cloud asked.

"An antidote, dear cousin," Lucy replied. "An antidote."

* * *

I've never wrote a chapter this long before. It's a new record. 

Anyway...again...I apologize for the long update. Homework and life stared bogging me down during the past two weeks after a got the flu, and new ideas to the story kept popping into my head. It was painful!

-Lord Divestre Croft


	5. The Darkness Is Emerging

Man...I hate long periods of time between chapters...makes me look lazy...

* * *

**_Heather hugged her leather backpack and stared at her feet. The elevator, which was in and old hotel, was taking too long to come up, and her nerves were on high. Heather began to bite the nail on her pointing finger._**

"_**That's a bad habit," Cloud commented.**_

"_**I only do it when I'm really nervous," Heather answered. "I can't help it sometimes."**_

_**Cloud stepped forward and pushed the down arrow on the elevator button.**_

"_**Cloud?"**_

"_**What is it?"**_

"_**After this is all over, what are you going to do?"**_

**_The question left him unprepared. Cloud stared at the dormant elevator doors, wishing in vain for them to open._**

"_**I have no bloody idea," Cloud answered. "But whatever it is, it won't be what I'm doing now."**_

_**Heather held bag even tighter. **_

"_**Now that mother and father are dead," he continued, "I have to take care of Marlene. If I stay with the Farfalle Velenose, eventually, she will be exposed to it. I can't bear that...I won't have it!"**_

"**_Will you go back?" Heather asked. "When she's older, I mean."_**

"**_Maybe…when there is a sunny, spring shiny day in hell…"_**

**_Despite the fear in her heart, Heather found it in herself to laugh. Cloud pointed at her._**

"_**See! You're laughing again…don't you feel better?"**_

_**Heather wrapped a strap of the bag on her shoulder and let her hand rest on her hips. She stared incredulously at him, and shook her head.**_

"**_Why are you so dour…I'm in more danger than you…I've been cracking skulls and shooting bullets at people for two weeks straight…and yet…I still feel that life is rose garden…"_**

"_**Cloud," Heather interrupted. "You have major issues…"**_

"**_But roses have their thorns," Cloud answered back._**

_**The former maid nodded in agreement. She took a deep breathe and mustered up her courage. Her next question was difficult.**_

"**_Cloud…I know this may be a bad time to bring it up…but…what are you going to do about Nicoli?"_**

**_The bell chime of the elevator was like a Mozart symphony. The elevator door opened, and to their shock, Tseng, along with several men, were standing in the elevator. The men rushed outward to make grab for their target._**

"_**Found you," Tseng said teasingly.**_

**_The first man received a straight kick in the jaw and went sailing through a nearby closed door. Cloud managed a wrestling hold around the second._**

"_**RUN!"**_

**_Heather hesitated for a moment but obediently dashed for the nearest exit. Satisfied, Cloud released his hold, grabbed the man by the collar and buried his face into the wall with a crash. Someone snuck up behind him and gave him flying kick in the back. They watched in pleasure as their opponent went flying yards away and landed painfully onto the ground. _**

**_A third heavy recklessly went after Cloud. He scoffed and quickly got up from the floor. A few seconds later, there was very large hole in the wall. A woman, inside her room, screamed in terror and confusion while the dust rose. The remaining men cowered, as if they were about to make a run for it. In sense of false security, Cloud rushed forward to attack them as well, forgetting the missing person. Just as he reached them, a wire found itself around his neck. Why did these old hotels have to have bars on the ceiling?!_**

"_**I want to make you suffer," Tseng muttered. "Spoiled brat!"**_

**_Tseng gave the wire a tug and Cloud felt an electric jolt go through him. Immediately, he was unable to move, and he collapsed onto the floor._**

"Uh, Cloud?" Lucy asked. "You're phasing out again…are you having another flashback?"

The pain in his head was stronger than before. Cloud held his head, which nearly sank onto the table, and groaned in displeasure. Meaning well, Sephiroth reached over and touched his shoulder.

"No touchie," Cloud growled.

"But I was just…"

"NO…TOUCHIE!"

Sephiroth could have sworn that he saw a fang. He obediently took his hand away, on fear of being bitten.

"My apologies," Cloud said quietly. "I'm missed you're explanation."

Lucy sighed in exasperation and repeated herself.

"You were introduced to a poison five years ago," she began. "It's not the type that kills you; it's designed to control you. It spreads through the entire body via the bloodstream. It's designed to weaken the skeletal structure, muscles, organs…even the quality of cells that are regenerated in the body. As a result the whole body will cannot function the way it should. It's used on people…or non-humans…in the event that they become…troublesome. Get the idea?"

"I guess…and what exactly is this poison called?"

"It's a watered out version of cobra venom…weaponized."

Lucy went off subject and called to the barmaid for give them another round of beer. The barmaid nodded and went to the shelves.

"No thanks," said Cloud. "I don't need another one."

"Believe me," Lucy replied. "After I'm done speaking, you're gonna need it."

The famous last words….

"I think it would be better if the ladies went back to the Peninsula now," Sephiroth recommended. "Our words are not for them…and it lessens the pressure."

"I'll call the guards that are with them," Lucy replied.

Lucy reached into her dress at the cleavage and pulled out her cell phone. Cloud stared in bewilderment, and Sephiroth slapped him on the back.

"Almost makes you wonder what else is in there," he said.

"I thought I told you not to touch me," Cloud replied.

Lucy watched and snickered.

"_At this rate, Cloud is going to get angry and punch his lights out…as usual…"_

The barmaid came back, and Lucy thanked as if she were a child getting a toy. She rapidly worked her fingers over the cell keys and waited for the line to pick up.

"Hello…this is Miss Skandon…about the people currently in the room…"

Sephiroth ignored the conversation.

"We never officially caught up, Cloudie-sama. Really…how have you been?"

"First off," Cloud answered, "Call me **that** again, and I'll castrate you with that knife I just got reacquainted with."

"Why don't you like being called that?" Sephiroth asked.

"Because it sounds feminine…"

Sephiroth stared at the frosted glass of beer in front of him. He frowned for a moment and then pushed it aside.

"You know what?" he said. "I don't want another beer either."

Lucy finished giving orders on her cell and hung up.

"Don't waste it!"

"Then **you **drink it!" Cloud retorted sarcastically. "I can't really stomach anything unless it's sake…Otherwise, I'm not a heavy drinker."

Lucy held out her hand and asked for both of the beer mugs.

"Don't get drunk now," Sephiroth warned. "We have a lot to speak about."

"If we don't finish tonight," Lucy said, "We can always continue where we left off tomorrow."

"Tomorrow," Cloud repeated.

With no ladylikeness whatsoever, Lucy began to chug down a glass of beer. She sensually licked her lips, without meaning to, and sat the mug back down with a clank.

"What? You're not free tomorrow?"

"It's not that," Cloud said. "After all, I still don't trust anything that you say…"

"We are related," Lucy said assuredly. "Even Marlene knows that…but…we had to give her an antidote too, Cloud."

Lucy noticed the horror that was creeping on him and waved her hands wildly in the air.

"We're sorry," she said sincerely. "You weren't the only one who got shot up with something. Shera got the same as you did. Marlene simply received medication that put her memories in a 'fog'."

"How come **I **don't remember any of this?"

Lucy hesitated to answer and began to drink more. Sephiroth began to whistle as if nothing was going on.

"_So that's where I picked up the whistling habit," Cloud thought._

Cloud shook his head and asked again.

"I'm not very sure," Lucy said quietly, "That we can say it in a way that you wouldn't freak out."

"I beg your pardon?"

Lucy twirled her hair anxiously and sighed.

"It was the poison," Sephiroth finally answered. "Lucy already mentioned that it spreads through the body from the bloodstream…the brain isn't spared either…"

Cloud became dead silent.

"When the infected blood hits the brain," Lucy whispered, "It causes a serious side affect; it happens every time …people like us usually end up losing their memories of everyday things such as tying shoes… using eating utensils…the rules of society… Some had the misfortune of turning into vegetables. The lucky few suffer from severe amnesia…their personal memories…"

'So," Cloud replied wearily.

"I don't know how to say it without putting it… too… **bluntly**," Lucy continued.

Lucy paused for a moment, trying to soften her thoughts and put them into words. Unfortunately, Sephiroth, who had grown impatient, decided to do the exact opposite.

"Ah, heck!" Sephiroth said allowed. "Just say it like it is: He's sick! Ill! Not mentally well! There isn't a nice of saying it at all…"

Lucy smacked Sephiroth hard on the face. He held his face in pain and growled. Suddenly panicking, she looked at Cloud. She wasn't able to read him. Instead, he stared back at her with a blank look on his face.

"Uh…hehehehehe…S-s-sorry about that…please forget that…I think Seph-chan here has had a little to much to drink so…"

Cloud shook his head and looked down, not focusing his eyes on anything. He smiled weakly and exhaled.

"Forget it…I already knew something was wrong with me from the start."

----------

As she helped Yuffie into the cab, Tifa felt a chill down her spine. She paused for a moment and looked back through the entrance. Shera noticed her strange behavior and she strapped the half-asleep passenger in.

"What's wrong?" Shera asked.

"I forgot something important in the room," Tifa said. "I'm going back. Go on ahead; I'll catch another cab."

Shera raised an eyebrow of suspicion. Tifa stared back as if she had woken up from a swoon, her hands on her hips for emphasis.

"What's that look for?" Tifa asked.

"I don't know," Shera answered. "Ah…whatever, I'll take care of Yuffie as best as I can."

Tifa smiled appreciatively. Shera gave her a "you owe me" look and shut the car door behind her. Tifa watched as the cab sped off, to make sure that it was completely out of sight. She walked into a corner, near the entrance, and waited patiently.

"Either Shera has good instincts," she observed, "Or I suck at lying…"

A few moments later, the person she was waiting for passed through the middle of the entrance, alone, amongst other guests. Why this person was alone, she had no idea. Tifa waited until they were far enough away, and then, she followed at a distance.

"Sorry Yuffie…"

----------

**_At age ten, it was understandable why Cloud could be so inquisitive… breaking rules to see why they must not be broken and what-not. On a certain evening, a funeral was being prepared for the next day. Uncle Constantin di Luciano and his wife, Lorenzia, had been killed in an accident. What accident was it? At the time, the adults said that children wouldn't understand. Cloud was no exception. Because he never knew Constantin and his wife, the funeral planning, tables being set, and the memorabilia of the passed on was like watching a parade on a holiday. It felt more like they were celebrating death. At the time, however, Cloud could care less; the Luciano manor was dragging him deeper and deeper into curiosity._**

_**For the very first time, he ventured a part of the manor that he had never been to before: the South Wing. Ironically, this was a place that was forbidden to children, and Cloud was determined to solve the mystery.**_

"_**Why is it so dark?" Cloud whined to himself. "Maybe this wasn't such a good…"**_

**_He opened the nearest door and walked in. At first, nothing was out of the norm; it was just a small, dusty library. Because he liked to read, Cloud felt an irresistible urge to pick out a book. He scanned the shelves a saw To Kill A Mocking Bird, which was just in his grasp._** **_As he wedged it out, the alarming, shrill, scream echoed into the library. Poor Cloud hit his head on a shelf and growled in pain. A second, louder, hysterical screech haunted the room. _**

**_Clutching the book in fear, Cloud looked around the small library, trying to find the source of the cries. He noticed red paint in front of door, leading to another room, and a third, terrible cry was heard. Mustering up courage, Cloud walked over to the door, where the red paint was. He bent down and touched it and found that it was wet. Cloud rubbed it on his fingers and took a closer look. It was not red paint. It was blood!_**

**_Cloud heard a sizzling sound through the door heard another wail. The door was still, slightly cracked. With a nervous, frightened, yet curious gulp, Cloud carefully peaked through the crack. A man was chained to a wall, with his back facing the child. His back was bleeding with deep, open, burnt gashes. The unfortunate man strained his neck, breathing heavily, as he looked at her torturers. Madame Jenova di Luciano strolled back and forth like a tigress ready to pounce._**

"**_You are being impertinent!" she snarled. "I don't like this method of interrogation, but it will just keep going until you tell us what we need to know. Who hired you to kill Constantin di Luciano?"_**

"_**Piss off!" the man answered. **_

_**Madame Luciano narrowed her eyes and snapped her fingers. The torturer produced a sharp, hot iron stick and proceeded to cut another jagged wound onto the man's back. The source of the screams was revealed. By chance, Madame Luciano, glanced at the crack of the door and recognized Cloud's eyes. Horrified, she rushed to the door to retrieve him, but Cloud had already made a mad dash out of the room, and away from the South Wing.**_

Cloud let the pain in his head go through its course without flinching. He stopped walking a sighed heavily.

"Now I remember why I hate funerals so much…"

He looked back casually and acknowledged Tifa, who had been trailing him the whole time. Realizing that she was discovered, Tifa stayed where she was, uncertain about what to do next. Cloud walked towards her and gently wrapped his arm around hers.

"I don't want to go back just yet," he said. 'Do you mind if we walk a little further, Miss Lockhart?"

She nodded, and he smiled in relief. It was not a happy smile.

"How long did you know I was behind you?" Tifa asked.

"I saw you in the reflection of a car I passed," Cloud explained. "But why are you here? Shouldn't you back at the Penninsula?"

"I told them that I left something."

"So you lied."

Tifa nodded grimly and tightned her hold on his arm.

"Why?" asked Cloud.

"It felt strange," Tifa replied vaguely. "I was worried, and I don't know why. It wasn't even intuition."

"Why worry?"

"I worried about you, smart one!" Tifa replied.

Cloud untangled his arm from hers and began to rub her head. She growled angrily, amusing Cloud all the more.

"Ah," he cooed. "Was little Miss Lockhart worried about **me**? I'm so touched…"

"Wrap your arm around mine again," Tifa commanded. "If the hand doesn't leave my head, you lose your fingers."

Cloud did as he was told and laughed.

"Why did you come out here anyway?" Tifa asked.

"I needed to clear my head a little," he answered. "Why?"

"Because the look on your face told me that something was wrong."

Tifa saw the surprise on his face, followed by a split second of gloom.

"It doesn't matter," Cloud replied. "It's nothing that you should get worked up on."

"In other words," Tifa said, "Something **is **wrong…"

Cloud smiled impishly and pretended that she had said nothing. She asked directly what was going on, and he ignored her.

"I thought you said you wouldn't keep me in the dark…"

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable, Cloud wriggled away from Tifa and began to walk ahead.

"I never promised you **that**, did I?"

As he walked forward, Tifa embraced him from behind and rested her head on his back.

"If it's privacy you want," Tifa whispered. "I won't tell anyone else in the group."

No answer.

"I won't even tell Cid, I promise."

No answer.

"Please, It really scares me out when you hide things from me…and I don't scare easily. Please…"

Tifa felt a defeated sigh, and she knew that she had won.

"What would you do," Cloud asked, "if you had to tell someone something and you had no idea where to begin?"

"I'd try.."

----------

"It's a good thing that we didn't tell him **who** gave him the poison," Lucy said. "The blow would've been devastating."

"We'll have to tell him sooner or later," Sephiroth said with resolve.

Lucy's head began to sway and she fell unconscious on the bar counter. Sephiroth shook his head and asked the bartender to get rid of her beer glass before she woke up.

* * *

Ja ne! 


	6. Sudden Collapse

* * *

In a small apartment in Hong Kong, the ringing of a telephone caught Rude's attention. Inconveniently, Rude was in the middle of taking a shower and ended up grabbing a towel and dashing to the counter, dripping all over the carpet. His wet hands nearly lost the phone. Growling, he answered the other person on the end in an unfriendly tone. 

"Hello…what is it?!" he asked impatiently.

"Rude…I'm surprised that you're using that tone with me."

"What about it?" Rude replied curtly. "Who are you?"

The unnamed man chuckled, slightly at the wet man's suspense. Rude felt his towel slipping and pulled it back up, embarrassed.

"Don't you recognize my voice?" the man asked. "Think hard, Rude. Think of anyone and everyone you know and have known. Think of someone who 'died' in the past few weeks. Think hard."

"What are you spouting?" Rude asked. "I'm dripping wet from the shower you interrupted…and you want me to stand here and think?"

"I interrupted you? My apologies…I tell you right away."

Rude listened, with annoyance. As the man revealed his identity, Rude let his jaw drop and his eyes widen. He shook his head in disbelief and became even more annoyed.

"You're lying," he answered. "You couldn't be…"

The unnamed man interrupted and continued to speak. Rude tried his best to process the man's words into his brain but only ended up rubbing his bald head in mental pain.

"S-sir?" he stammered. "I beg your pardon, sir…if I'd known…but how…why…

"Think nothing of it," the man answered. "We have bigger problems on our hands."

Rude grabbed a nearby chair and slowly sat down, still dripping.

"I would like to tell you of an incident that happened nearly 15 years ago," the man declared. "Are you willing to hear it?"

"Y-y-yes sir!"

----------

Nearly fifteen years ago, in the middle of a Brazilian field, an explosion had occurred. Debris had fallen, was falling, and would still be falling within the hour. Several helicopters landed gracefully, a good deal away from the damage. A 45-year-old Shinra climbed out from his private helicopter and surveyed the damage. A huge, private airplane sized helicopter had been torpedoed down relentlessly by **someone**. But what of the person they had been looking for. Were they not on the doomed aircraft as well?

Shinra waved a few of his men over, and they ventured closer to the disaster.

"That helicopter," Shinra began. "Who did belong to?"

"I believe it was from the Blue Lotus, sir," a guard answered. "Awful end though, eh?"

"Hey!" another guard shouted. "Look over there."

He quickly ran over to a huge, partially shattered, glass tube with a runny, bluish-green substance dripping down on the grass. He noticed a long line of bluish-green footprints, staing the grass, leading away from the tube and towards the ruins.

"Good work," Shinra said.

At the end of the trail, a girl was lying down, prone, with her hair covering most of her body. It was obvious though that she was completely naked, covered with the liquid from the tube, but nevertheless, they had found who they were looking for.

Shinra cautiously pulled out a gun and stood over the girl. He thought for a moment, and, to his men's surprise he pointed the gun at her and cocked the gun.

"Maybe," he said quietly, "it would be better if I just destroyed this thing. Maybe…it would be better for the company's safety…for our people's safety…"

Shinra kept the gun pointed at 'this thing', but he hesitated to shoot. The girl stirred, reached quickly, and grasped her seemly gentle, yet strong fingers around Shinra's ankle. He stepped back in shock, and she gingerly let go. Slowly, the girl got on her knees, her eyes hidden in her hair. She raised her head slightly and stared at the man before her through her locks. Her innocent eyes melted Shinra's heart with guilt; he lost the resolve to kill. All he could see now was a 12-year-old child.

Shinra let the gun fall and slid it across the ground with his foot, towards his men. He reached out his hand, pretending to be professional and cold as always. The girl readily grabbed his hand and slowly got up.

----------

"That's quite a story," Rude whispered. "Who was that girl though?"

"I'll tell you when we meet," the man answered. "However, the point of my story was not to entertain."

Rude, satisfied that he dry, was in a better mood to listen.

"And?" he prodded.

"The point," the man answered, "is that the girl is in danger of death again. We must prevent it."

----------

Tifa leaned against the highway rail in silent shock. What she had heard, she hadn't liked it. It was all too unbelievable…impossible…incredible. Was it true though? Was Cloud really…

"It's a lie," she finally said. "It can't be true. You were just fine a week ago…"

"I know it's true," Cloud answered. "It's kinda like a mother knowing if their child did something wrong or not. You just know."

"Then why did it happen?" Tifa questioned. "Who…?"

Cloud climbed over the rail and onto the grass. Tifa followed, quickly, wondering why on earth Cloud would do such a thing.

"Right know," he answered, "I really don't care."

Tifa heard a cell phone ring, and immediately thought it was hers, judging by the ring tone. As she went into her purse, Cloud was already answering his cell phone.

"Hey Cid! How's it going?"

Suddenly, Tifa heard Cid screaming every word in the book at Cloud. Instinctively, Cloud held the phone away from his ear and waited for the storm to pass.

"Ah, Cid…don't be like that. I'll be back soon. Shera should have Yuffie tucked underneath her arm at the hotel right now…and I'll come back with…"

"I don't care about them!" Cid yelled. "What about you?!"

"You're worried?" Cloud asked in a mocking tone. "Cid…I could cry in happiness. I'm so touched…"

Cloud hear Cid growl like a dog through the line.

"When I get my hands on you," Cid answered with hostility, "you're gonna feel **touched** alright! I make you wish you were never born!"

The phone went dead, and Cloud laughed.

"What's so funny?" Tifa asked in exasperation. "I see nothing funny about your situation."

"I've learned to laugh through the storm," he replied. "What can I do about my situation? Cry? Complain about it? Crawl into hole, peut-être?"

"You're crazy," Tifa muttered woefully.

Cloud shrugged and sat down in the grass. Tifa did the same, still holding her opinion.

"It's the rest of the world that's gone bonkers," Cloud replied.

Tifa shook her head and groaned. She hugged her legs and buried her face in them.

"I have a confession to make," he said to her. "Remember when that man shot me at the Waldorf-Astoria?"

"Yeah," Tifa replied. "You mentioned something about a delusion…when it was really a flashback. That was the first time it happened too."

"No," Cloud corrected. "That wasn't my first…my first flashback happened the morning after we met at the nightclub."

Tifa gaped in confusion.

"It was that morning, when I was staring out the car window. You know…before the cheesecake incident? Before I wheelbarrow-led you back to the car, and you said that you were going to kill me?"

"Don't mention that again," Tifa mumbled.

"So you **do** remember…well, before I had that first flashback…I thought my parents had died in a car accident. My memory showed me different scenario…a bloody massacre on the family estate. What really bothers me about it is that I readily accepted it as the truth and didn't deny it…I actually forgot the lie…"

Tifa didn't say a word; she simply listened. Replying back was not appropriate at the moment.

"I have another confession to make," Cloud declared. "I am eccentric, obnoxious, and completely messed up…I'll never change...I apologize for that, and I'm happy that you put up with me. Thank you."

Tifa scooted closer to Cloud and put her hand over his forehead to check for a fever.

"Cloud-sensei," Tifa said. "I think you may be running a little temperature there."

"I guess I am," Cloud replied with a smile.

Gently, he slid her hand off of his forehead.

"Uh, Miss Lockhart…I'm afraid I have another confession to make."

"What is it now?" Tifa asked in a peeved manner.

"It's not exactly about me," Cloud replied. "It's more about you…maybe it is about me…or maybe it's both of us."

Tifa urged him to spill it out. The look on her face told him so.

"For the past five years, I've felt a sense of…instability. Maybe, deep down, it was because of the memories that I lost, without knowing that I lost them. But now, since we met, I don't really feel that insecurity anymore. You follow me, Miss Lockhart?"

"Not really," Tifa replied.

Cloud realized that he still had a hold to her hand and sheepishly let go.

"Well…I don't really know why, but whenever we're around each other, I feel a genuine sense of peace…even when you're pissed off at me. I've never felt safer."

"Yeah, right," Tifa replied sarcastically. "Like I've been any help. I become the freaking damsel in distress all the time. I'm no help at all."

Cloud watched Tifa shrink in guilt and embarrassment.

"I'm no help at all," she repeated quietly.

"Whether you believe it or not," he answered. "You really are…in a funny sort of way."

Tifa replied sarcastically that his comment made her feel better. Cloud put a friendly arm around her, and she sleepily let her head rest on her shoulder.

"You know what?" Tifa whispered. "You're growing on me, Cloud-sensei…in a weird, dysfunctional sort of way."

"How sad though…I may be a cause of worry in the future…do you think…after we leave this country…that we should go our separate ways?"

Tifa, once again, became a storm of rage. She stood right up and towered her him like a tidal way.

"Idiot!" she screamed. "Moron…you think that just going away is going to make me stop worrying about you? Gosh…you're even crazier than I thought…Are you trying to get rid of me?"

Cloud stared at her smiling.

"What are you grinning for?!"

"That's another thing I like about you," Cloud replied. "You're so passionate about everything that you do. How do you do it? Isn't it exhausting?"

"Only when I'm around you," Tifa retorted. "Why do you even hang around me so much?"

"I used to be your psychiatrist," Cloud replied. "Now **I'm** the one who needs one…"

Tifa shook her head angrily.

"No! Why do hang around me when you don't have to? Why not hang around the guys in your free time?"

"Why not?" he asked. "What if I said that I wanted to personally get to know you more?"

"What?!" Tifa yelled.

"I'm rather attracted to you, Miss Lockhart," Cloud continued.

Tifa let her jaw drop. She stared at him for a moment, hoping that he would suddenly say "just kidding!" and break the silence. Cloud simply kept that grin on his face and stared back at her. Tifa smacked her head, turned around, and shouted for God Himself to take her now.

"You hurt my feelings," Cloud teased.

Tifa didn't move from her spot. In victory, he tried to hold in a laugh, but stopped short with a sudden, paralyzing feeling. His eyes became completely unfocused. Tifa heard a slight thump on the ground.

"Cloud-sensei…what are you…?"

She was given no response.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked.

Cloud did not respond, nor did he move. In haste, she stole his cell phone and went into the call files to find Cid's number.

"Don't call Cid," Sephiroth instructed.

Sephiroth was walking toward them, carrying a dozing Lucy, bridal style, with Marlene running up ahead in a sisterly panic.

"And why shouldn't I?" Tifa asked crudely. "He's out like a light!"

Sephiroth became fed up with his load and dropped Lucy on the ground. She woke up immediately, looked up at Sephiroth, and cursed at him.

"If Cid gets in on this," he replied, "he will only cause complications."

Lucy gained her wits back and crawled over to her newfound cousin, inspecting him like professional doctor.

"He's gone into phase two," she finally replied. "**This** is sooner than expected."

"Phase Two?" Tifa asked in disbelief. "What the heck is phase two?"

"Ask him when he wakes up," Lucy replied lazily. "I don't feel like explaining it to a 'Shinra girl'. Why are you here anyway?"

"That's not the point!"

Marlene stayed quiet by her brother's side. Lucy patted her head.

"Ah, don't worry," she said. "Thanks to that antidote...phase two won't kill him."

"Yeah," Sephiroth whispered. "But he'll be in a freaking coma for who knows how long…"

Marlene gasped before staring at Tifa as if she had gotten food poisoning. Lucy promptly slapped Sephiroth in the face.

* * *

I've done this before...so I now it works out... 

Okay...the **first** person who can tell me who the 12-year-old girl **and **the unnamed man on the telephone are will get a preview for a later chapter in the story. You must PM me instead of writing it in your reviews. If you are not the first person to get it right, have the wrong guess, or you only guess for one of the characters I mentioned, I will not answer you back.

Good luck!

-Lord Divestre Croft


	7. Redefining the Past: Naha, Okinawa

Apparently, the contest I issued out is more difficult than I planned it to be. Mostly everyone who has made a guess has correctly named the unnamed man on the telephone, which is in fact Mr. Shinra, who is still alive somehow. However, everyone's problem seems to be the 12-year-old girl. So, as of now, the slate is clean and the contest has been reduced. The first person to guess the identity of the girl gets the same prize: a generous preview of a later chapter I have planned. This time, I will give you 3 hints below, and this chapter will reveal some more information about her. Good luck…

No…it's not Tifa.

The girl actually is a **girl** (faithful readers should understand what I mean).

She sort of emotionally clings to Cloud, especially in childhood (no, it's not Marlene either).

----------

Onto better things, here are a few quotes that I plan on using in the next few chapters:

"**_It's not the fall that kills you…it's when you hit the ground, you son of a gun."_**

**_-Nicoli di Luciano

* * *

_**

_**Sephiroth: If you keep on choking Lucy like that, you'll kill her!**_

_**Cloud: (answers angrily) That's the idea!

* * *

**_

"**_Hey, Big Booby!"_**

_**-Marlene Strife

* * *

**_

"_**You know, Miss Lockhart…you could have simply just asked for a hug…"**_

_**-Cloud Strife

* * *

**_

_**Yuffie: Cosmo says that people who like cherries are good kissers.**_

_**Shera: Cloud loooooves cherries!**_

_**Tifa: Very funny...

* * *

**__**Tifa: Oh...Why do you have to be so darn attractive?!**_

_**Cloud: Because I'm looking at you, Miss Lockhart.**_

**_

* * *

_**

"_**Where's that stud muffin of mine?"**_

_**-Elena di Luciano

* * *

**_

"_**Dang, I'm sexy..."**_

**_-Tifa Lockhart

* * *

_**

"_**Why are you under the covers with me?! Get off!"**_

_**-Cid

* * *

**_

"**_Even if you became president of the United States and earned the bloody Nobel Peace Prize, it still wouldn't change a thing. Sephiroth... you'll always be a freaking idiot!"_**

_**-Cloud Strife**_

_**

* * *

**_

_**Thank you for reading.**_

_**-Lord Divestre Croft**_

_**

* * *

**_

"Darn, he's heavy!" Sephiroth complained.

Sephiroth emptied his "load" unceremoniously into the back seat of his car. He felt a hard slap on his arm and recoiled it back in real pain. Looking down, slightly, an angry Marlene had her arms folded with a scolding look on her face.

"Don't just throw my big brother in like a sack of potatoes!"

"Ah, don't worry," he replied. "Cloud's not as delicate as he looks..."

Marlene slapped him on the arm again. He clasped his arm in rubbed it.

"Cut that out!"

Marlene stuck out her big, red tongue and ran to the other side to claim the shotgun seat.

"She's recovering faster than her brother...what a pain..."

----------

Lucy was a silent driver, much to Tifa's annoyance. No music, no talking, no sighs, no cussing out the bad drivers...just plain old silence. Not much different from sitting in an airplane with nothing to do.

"So," Lucy said finally. "You wanna come with us or not?"

"Huh?"

"Do...you... want...to...come...with...us?"

"It all depends on where you're going," Tifa answered. "You're not taking him back to the hotel, are you?"

Lucy smacked her lips, smoothing out her lipstick a little.

"If we did that," Lucy answered, "we couldn't take care of him..."

"Take care of him for what?"

"There you go again...so...you coming or not? The turn off is up ahead; make your choice now..."

Tifa felt herself sink into despair. But then again, why **did **she have to go? Cloud's life was none of her business. So what if a shady guy and some sleazy woman wanted to whisk him off to some unknown destination, with him being unconscious. It wasn't her business...but then again, what if...

Suddenly, Lucy sped up faster and bypassed the turn off. Tifa gaped and watched the previous turn off disappear from the headlights.

"Hey!" Tifa shouted. "I didn't say I was coming..."

"You want to come," Lucy answered. "It was written all over your face just now...you want to come because you're curious to what's going on. Not only that, you're afraid that we might be trying to hurt him..."

"You thought too much," Tifa retorted.

"Sure about that?" Lucy asked.

Tifa leaned back into the shotgun seat and groaned.

"Stop complaining," Lucy scolded. "We're going somewhere nicer than that hotel. You're staying somewhere nicer...our grandmother's country estate. You'll like it better."

"What about the other people who are with us?" Tifa asked.

"Leave them hanging," Lucy replied idly.

It took a while for the phrase to program into her brain. Leave them hanging?! Just leave and run for as long as she pleased?! Leave Shera worried? Leave Yuffie with her injuries.

"It sounds jerky," Lucy continued. "But if we tell them about this...everything will go to hell. It's better to leave and come back when ready. You probably won't be gone for more than two days or so. Or maybe…three of four days would be a better estimate…if he wakes up…the whole crew will want a huge party…which takes an entire day to recover from…"

Lucy coughed sarcastically.

"That's called **irresponsibility** in the dictionary of assassins," Tifa replied seriously. "We're scheduled to leave for NYC two days…"

"Not in our dictionary," Lucy answered back. "Reschedule when you get back. Let's change the subject...you'll **love** my grandma...in a twisted sort of way...this is just one of her many estates; she doesn't live here for a long period of time. All she's here for is to see one of her grandkids that she hasn't seen in a while..."

Tifa blew the bangs off of her face and scowled at the car window.

"_I think we've been Shanghaied…"_

"I don't even know why I'm here," Tifa declared. "It's not like I trust you or anything…"

Lucy didn't answer. An impish smile slowly appeared on her face. Tifa looked at the driver suspiciously, and Lucy noticed at the corner of her eye.

"You like my cousin," Lucy sang teasingly.

"Your cousin?" Tifa asked.

"You'll find out."

Lucy realized that the car was getting slightly cold and turned on the heater.

"I could already see the signs of a coma on him," Lucy said grimly. "He was already turning pale. Poor Cloud…ah, he was never very famous for his luck anyway…"

"What caused the coma?" Tifa asked calmly.

"There you go again…being nosy. Ah…what the hell… You could say that he's not exactly with us…he's another world right now. A mind trip…so to speak. You could also say that he almost literally took a walk down Memory Lane…call it what you want."

"I don't quite follow you," Tifa answered.

"Then ask him when he wakes up…See? I told you it was pointless to tell a Shinra girl. People from that company are so narrow-minded…"

Tifa scoffed at Lucy and began to glare at the window again.

"Still," Lucy said quietly. "I wonder what he's remembering right now."

"Huh?"

"Nevermind…"

----------

AN: From here on out, to the end of the chapter after the next, everything will take place in the past. (I may pop back into the present now and then) Thank you for reading.

Eleven years ago, life was more peaceful. It was mid-spring in Naha, Okinawa, and the only thing that Shera could think about was going to one of its beautiful beaches. Cloud had been "forced" to join them by his parents, who wanted him to have a Japanese experience. Lucy was hell-bent on shopping in the Kokusai Dōri, while Sephiroth was coming to annually restore his sword, who was annoyed that the girls had followed him.

"Ah, Seph!" Shera whined. "You keep going here every year and you never invited **us**?!"

Sephiroth was still angry, so he refused to give her anything more than a growl for an answer. Cloud flipped another page in the tourist booklet and ignored the hostility. Lucy was busy looking out at the ocean as the car passed it.

"How long will it take to restore your Ōdachi?" Cloud asked.

"A week or so," Sephiroth replied.

"That long…I wanna check out Izakaya Teechi...and the Okinawa Shokudo Restaurant. It says here that Shokudo has really good ramen… "

"Sure," Sephiroth answered. "Whatever…why are you so interested food right now?"

Everyone in the car heard a stomach growl angrily. Cloud flipped another page in the booklet, and Shera stifled a laugh.

"That's why," Cloud answered.

"Why didn't you eat on the plane?" Sephiroth asked.

"I **did**…but the portion wasn't enough for me…"

Lucy reached over and patted Cloud on the head. He shot a venomous glare at the adult, spurring her on all the more.

"You eat like a freaking horse," Lucy said.

"And you shop like Marie-Antoinette," retorted Cloud.

"_Well said," Sephiroth thought._

-----------

Meanwhile, at the home of the Strife family, Elizabeth Strife silently watched over her sleeping baby, Marlene. The temptation to touch her daughter's soft, smooth skin was unbearable, but the baby needed to sleep. The intercom sounded on the telephone, and Marlene stirred and whined in her sleep. Elizabeth rushed to pick up the phone.

"Hello?"

"Mistress Strife…you have a call from Mr. Shinra, madam."

Elizabeth froze when she heard that name. She clenched the hand at her side into a fist, and gnashed her teeth. A maternal fury washed over her.

"Shall I connect or reject the call?"

"Connect it," Elizabeth whispered.

The phone line beeped and the upset mistress answered Shinra as politely as she could.

"Good morning, Elizabeth," Shinra answered. "Are you doing well? How is you're baby? And your husband?"

"We're fine," Elizabeth said quickly.

Shinra cleared his throat and continued on.

"We are watching him…they've all made it safely to Naha."

"Is it really necessary to follow his every move?" Elizabeth asked.

"Yes…I know that it upsets you, Elizabeth, but I am just trying to do what what's best for the company…"

"Yes, I know," she interrupted. "I have to feed my baby now…thank you…good-bye!"

Elizabeth let out her anger and slammed the phone.

"Jerk-off," she mumbled.

She calmed herself down and went back to her baby.

----------

On the other end, Shinra put his cell phone back. Rude pulled out a cigarette and stood beside his boss under the sakura tree.

"Okinawa is beautiful this time of year," Shinra declared.

Rude hummed in approval and lit his cigarette.

"You are a young man," Shinra said. "You really wish you wouldn't do that."

Rude stopped in mid-puff. He frowned for moment, dropped the cancer stick on the ground, and killed it under his shoe.

"Sorry," Rude mumbled. "I'm trying to quit."

"Don't concentrate on quitting," Shinra replied. "Concentrate on living a healthy, life..."

Shinra began to walk, and Rude followed.

"Let's get something to eat," the business man said. "There's something I need to speak to you about."

----------

Night had fallen over downtown Naha. The famous strip mall, Kokusai Dōri, were beholding an alarming spectacle. Waiters, waitresses, tourists, and local civilians alike watched with amazement as a 15-year-old, female version of Cloud Strife single-handedly devoured a jumbo ramen bowl at Okinawa Shokudo Restaurant. The four travelers sat around the table, on the floor, as it is in Japanese custom.

"Cloud!" Shera scolded. "That bowl was for all of us!"

"Don't take it away," Lucy interrupted. "We ordered two bowls. That bowl is just for him."

"But the jumbo bowl is enough for five adults," Shera argued.

Shera looked to Sephiroth for support, but his opinion was the same.

"You and Cloud obviously haven't kept much contact together," Sephiroth declared. "It seems that Cloud's appetite has horrendously evolved…he eats just as much Madame Luciano now."

Madame Luciano was a notorious glutton. Everyone knew that about her. Shera sighed in defeat and resolved to wait for a second ramen bowl. She looked at her cousin, who hadn't paid any attention to the conversation. The ramen noodles were going up like an upside down waterfall into his mouth. As soon as the trail ended, Cloud fished into the bowl with his chopsticks for another. Shera watched with horror and thought to herself, _"Half-boy…half pig…I'm surprised that he hasn't gained much weight."_

"Ah, good ramen," Cloud whispered in a sultry manner.

"We'd know that if you weren't eating it all, you hog," Lucy teased.

"I'm not greedy," Cloud replied. "I'm just really hungry tonight."

"That's what you said every other night too."

"Remember what happened at that Buca di Beppo Restaurant in Dallas, Texas?" Sephiroth asked. "We ordered a Buca large, which gives twelve people one serving, and then we left Madame Luciano and Cloud on a last-minute job. When we got back, two hours later, the whole plate was empty and they were both ordering desert!"

Lucy remembered what he was talking about and laughed.

"Yeah…I think Cloud inherited it from Madame!"

"Don't believe it," Shera muttered. "It's too far-fetched."

Shera glanced over and saw that the ramen bowl was half-full. She gaped in disgust and tried to look the other way.

"If you think that's bad," Lucy said, "wait till you see him eat Mexican food…"

Shera hoped that she never would.

----------

"Have you heard of man by the name of Nicoli di Luciano?"

Rude stopped chewing and swallowed.

"No, sir… never heard of him…someone who worked at the company?"

"Not exactly…he did sometimes…but he mostly worked under a society known as the Farfalle Velenose…a criminal organization."

"And?" Rude asked, trying to get the point.

Shinra heaved a large breathe and recollected. He did not like talking about this man.

"Nicoli…was another humanoid experiment…a BECS to be more specific. He was an extremely affective assassin, but he was also the type of person who had a divided mind. At times, he was kind, gentle, family person, respected for his charm and cleverness. At other times, at a whim, he was sadistic, brutal… and ruthless. Nicoli was the only man who every frightened me out of my skin."

"Sounds like an unstable nutcase," Rude commented. "But there are lots of assassins like that…"

"At the age of 12," Shinra added, "Nicoli decided that his favorite color was **blood **red. At age 13, he killed dozens of people for his birthday in one sitting…for fun…"

Shinra watched as Rude's face turned grey. Shinra had that unyielding, serious look on face, so he had to be telling the truth.

"What a psychopath!" Rude shouted. "I hope he burns in hell…is he still alive and kicking?"

"In a way, no…"

Rude quickly asked what Shinra what he meant by that. Shinra did not give him an answer.

----------

"I couldn't eat another bite," Cloud declared.

A boy again, Cloud let himself fall backwards on the bed, as if he were about to make a snowman.

"Of course you couldn't," Sephiroth replied. "You ate a whole jumbo ramen…and a little bit of the second one! Tell me Cloud…do you have two stomachs?"

"Not that I know of…why?"

"Your appetite is beyond normal," Sephiroth explained. "Is it even scientifically possible that you can eat that much?"

"As a recall," Cloud retorted, "**you** can drink five bottles of sake before it affects you."

Sephiroth continued pulling the bed down.

"When are you taking your sword to the 'shop'?"

"I'm scheduled to go tomorrow night," Sephiroth replied. "And I'm going alone too…you can keep the girls busy? Lucy has a habit of following me around so…"

Cloud threw a raspberry at him and turned the other cheek.

"I'm **not** doing your dirty work."

Sephiroth shucked a pillow at Cloud.

"Well, be that way," Sephiroth teased.

Thirsty for vengeance, Cloud grabbed the pillow that was thrown at him. He leapt off of his hotel bed, toward Sephiroth, and swung the pillow into his chosen opponent's face.

----------

Outside of the hotel, a man and woman, dressed like tourists, glanced together at a picture. The man pointed at the photograph.

"Are you sure that this is the person we're looking for?" he questioned sternly. "No mistakes?"

The woman nodded confidently and replied, "He just a twerp isn't he? But… boss's orders…"

The man stared hard at the photograph and an uneasy feeling washed over him.

"_I know this kid from somewhere…"_

"Something wrong, Tseng?"

Tseng shook his agitation, regarded his partner, and said that he was alright.

"What's the kid's name again?"

The woman hummed underneath her breathe, trying to remember. She snapped her fingers.

"Cloud Strife…that's the kid's name…"

A good distance away, Rude was watching and listening suspiciously.


	8. Redefining the Past: Endless Dark

Ahead of time, I apologize if I rambled on during this chapter...I shortened it twice...

* * *

Still can't figure out who the 12-year old girl is? Here's any easy one... 

She teases someone about their bust size (you'll find out later).

----------

**Still in the past...**

"Are you sure that it was okay to take Seph-chan's money without permission?" Shera asked.

Cloud was busy buying something at a grill stand in the middle of marketplace. Shera tugged at his sleeve, to get his attention and repeated the question.

"Course not," Cloud replied. "He'll kill me when we get back…"

"And you took it anyhow?!" Shera shouted.

"Yeah…"

Shera realized that she and her cousin had eaten lunch three hours ago. She stared in stupefied horror as Cloud quickly finished of a large portion of…well…whatever he bought. Did this boy ever stop eating?

"Why are looking at me like that?" Cloud asked. "Do I fascinate you or something?"

Over ahead, they heard an owner of a stand arguing with a tourist. Coming closer, they saw young girl, just their age, screaming at a man in fluent Japanese. Shera was too interested to ignore it, though her Japanese was terrible.

"You said that your purses were only 200 yen!" the girl yelled.

"This purse is bigger than the others," the man claimed. "I will take no less than 350 yen…"

In anger, the teenaged girl grabbed another bag and held it side by side with the bag that she wanted.

"Does this look bigger to you?!"

The stand owner fumbled for an answer. Shera closed her eyes and shook her head for all the stupid men in the world. She looked to Cloud, expecting him to be beside her, but he was not. She looked back at the argument and saw Cloud slapping money on the counter, in front of the stand owner.

"I'll buy it for 250 yen," Cloud interrupted.

"I want 350," the man answered.

"300 yen?"

The stand owner rubbed his chin in thought and nodded.

"300 yen…"

"Thanks…"

The stand owner took the money and stared straightening out his items again. The girl stared at her hero as he fastened his wallet.

"In many Asian countries, you sometimes have to haggle for the price," Cloud explained. "It's the same thing in Taiwan and China…remember that next time, Miss Lockhart…"

Shera caught up and they left together, leaving a sixteen-year-old Tifa in a stupor.

"That was…" Shera whispered.

"Shinra's girl," Cloud finished. "Yeah…I know…that means Mr. Shinra's following me again…what a pain in the…"

"Excuse me!"

Shera turned around and saw Tifa running towards them. She hit Cloud on the shoulder and pointed her out.

---------

A gold colored ball collided with the picture of Hello Kitty and took it down. Shera hissed a cheer and held her fist up in victory. The woman in charge of the stand fumbled into a basket to give Shera some bonus balls to throw. On a bench, across from the small game stand, Cloud was popping the last tempura into his mouth while Tifa stared in shock. A scene that happened an hour ago replayed in her head.

"_Excuse me!"_

_Tifa caught up with the two cousins with her new purse around her shoulder._

"_Can't you let a girl say thank you?" Tifa asked, annoyed._

"_I had to?" Cloud asked innocently._

_Tifa held out her hand and Cloud saw 300 yen in the palm of her hand. Cloud shook his head and began to walk away with Shera quickly in tow. Tifa stubbornly followed._

"_No thank you," Cloud said. "I don't like taking money from girls."_

"_I don't like taking money from people in general," Tifa answered. "Especially strangers."_

_"Strangers?" Cloud asked._

_Tifa thought for a moment. The guy did know her name after all.e_

"_Let's make a compromise," Cloud proposed. _

"_Compromise?"_

"_Buy __**me **__something…"_

"_Buy __**you **__something?" Tifa asked. _

_A stomach growled angrily. Cloud smiled. Shera smacked her head in disbelief. Tifa became very confused._

"Do you have two stomachs?" Tifa asked. "There were 12 different fried pieces in there that bag…"

"You're the second person who's asked me that, Miss Lockhart" Cloud replied.

"I have a first name, you know," Tifa retorted. "It's…"

"Miss Lockhart sounds better than Tifa," Cloud explained.

From a distance away, Shera was yelling, screaming, and cheering.

"How exactly do you know my name?" Tifa asked.

"Lots of people know about Shinra's girl…"

Tifa let her head sink and let out a sigh.

"You're not gonna tell me why…are you?"

"Nope," Cloud answered.

"Will you at least tell me your name?" Tifa asked.

"Nope…this is too much fun…"

Her face turned red with anger. Watching her get riled up…was kind of exciting…

"And why not?!" Tifa yelled.

"I don't feel like it," Cloud replied. "Is that a good enough answer?"

Tifa was two seconds from slapping the boy in front of her. Him and that stupid grin of his. Shera interrupted by coming with her prize, a humongous Hello Kitty plushy doll.

"I won this!" Shera declared. "Isn't it cute?"

"In a creepy sort of way, yes," Cloud answered.

Shera struggled with her bulky load and balanced it against her shoulder.

"Can we head back early?" Shera asked.

Cloud looked at his watch: 3:52 p.m.

"Well look at the time," Cloud said lazily. "It's been nice talking to you, Miss Lockhart."

Cloud got up, offered to carry the massive toy, and they were both off. Tifa was left angrier than she had ever been in the sixteen years of her life.

----------

"I'm not going to deliver your stupid katana…"

Sephiroth smiled in triumph as he handed the directions to the protesting teenager.

"It's too risky to go by cab," Sephiroth explained. "You have to walk there…"

"I've been walking all day!"

"If you don't do it," Sephiroth threatened, "We won't feed you tomorrow…"

Cloud trembled at the thought. Finally, he submitted and asked how far the "shop" was.

----------

It was at least a few thousand wooden steps more until he had arrived at his destination. Shera walked beside her cousin as he carried the Odachi, sheathed with a strap to carry it with. Cloud was mumbling curses under his breathe.

"Uh, Cloud?"

"What?!" he snapped.

Shera cowered in fear and fell silent for a moment. Cloud calmed down and softened his tone of voice.

"What is it, Shera?"

"Why did are you in your girl form?"

"Part of my punishment," Cloud explained. "That's why Seph made you come with me...he wants you to watch and make sure that I don't change back **during **the trip. Plus, he told the shopkeeper that a girl would be dropping off the sword..."

"But why would he do that?" Shera asked. "Isn't delivering the sword this far a good enough punishment? What's the point of it?"

"To humiliate me."

Shera stared at elaborately decorated sheath.

"Pretty," Shera cooed.

"Pardonne-moi?"

"The sheath," Shera answered. "It's beautiful...but it looks kinda old."

"Seph-chan says that it's almost 100 years old," Cloud replied. "It's still in excellent condition too."

An awkward, unpleasant silence arrived soon after. The wooden steps seemed wind up like a never-ending staircase, going on and on forever. So this was the trek that Sephiroth endured every year. It was enough to make a teenager go insane. Fighting the boredom, Shera tried to focus on her cousin. Chaos ensued.

"You're so cute in that form," Shera said aloud.

"What?"

Childishly, Shera walked behind Cloud, wrapped her arms around his neck, slowing him down.

"You're so cute!" Shera chirped. "Pretty hair, pretty smile...you always change your hairstyle...and you kick arse in Gothic Lolita..."

"I **hate** Gothic Lolita," Cloud answered.

Shera continued on as if she didn't hear him.

"Remember what Marlene's first words were?" Shera asked teasingly. "Her first words ever?"

Cloud shut up like a clam out of embarrassment. Shera decided to prod even further.

"You know...remember when you came to visit with your parents and Marlene during New Year's...and mom decided to play dress up and forced you to wear that Gothic Lolita dress...and curled your long hair!"

Cloud still didn't answer.

"Aunt Lizzy made you hold Marlene for a picture, and then Marlene buried her face into your chest and said..."

"Boobies," Cloud muttered.

Shera clutched tightly her cousin and went off into a fit of laughter.

"It was January then. Even mum was laughing. I wasn't able to change into this form until just last night...It's spring break now...It was too humiliating...I'm still humiliated...God, I hate this form!"

"She obviously never met Tifa Lockhart," Shera added. "Haven't you ever noticed?"

"It's hard to miss," Cloud replied. "May we please change the subject?"

Stuck together like glue, the two misfit cousins traveled even further up the stairs and even deeper into the longest journey of their lives.

----------

**Back to the present (for a moment, that is...)**

Sephiroth had already arrived at the estate first. Without wasting time, Lucy was already taking blood samples of the man in the bed before her. Gingerly, she left the room and went to her own, to study it thoroughly. Tifa and Lucy briefly passed each other in the long hall.

"He seems okay on the outside," Lucy said to herself. "But I'd better get this under the microscope just in case."

The door had been left slightly opened. Taking the initiative, Tifa slipped in out of curiosity. There he was, a comatose Cloud Strife.

"She was right," Tifa muttered. "He looks really pale. I can barely see him breathing..."

The door swung upon, and to Tifa's shock, Shera came walking through it.

"Tifa?"

"Shera?"

Shera shrugged her shoulders and put on a "whatever" look on her face. She walked over to the bed, knelt down next to the bed, and took her cousin's hand.

"What are you doing here?" Tifa asked. "What about Yuffie?"

"Yuffie is in this estate in a guest room," Shera replied. "The taxi driver...in that cab...he wasn't really a taxi driver..."

Shera let go of the hand, gently placing it back on the sheets.

"He's cold," Shera muttered. "So Lucy was telling the truth...he really has gone into phase two...what a mess..."

"What is phase two?" Tifa asked.

"It's difficult to explain," Shera answered. "I don't even remember why I know about it...I've already gone through it myself…it nearly killed me."

Shera buried her face into the sheets and groaned in exasperation.

"This isn't the first time I've seen him in bed like this," Shera whispered. "Last time...it was because he lost a lot of blood...He was stabilized quickly, but it was scary."

"When did that happen?"

"It was during a spring break," Shera replied. "We were in Naha, Okinawa...in Japan."

Tifa was unable to answer back, so she stayed quiet.

"If only there weren't so many circumstances," Shera said. "If Sephiroth hadn't made us deliver that Odachi…if only Mr. Shinra and people hadn't been breathing down his neck like they were…everything could've turned out differently…"

"What are you talking about?" Tifa asked.

Shera felt a small spark of pain in the back of her head.

"I'm sorry," Shera said quietly. "I ramble off at the mouth sometimes...The truth is...I barely even know what happened. It's so sketchy...I may have been unconscious for the most of it. But I know it was bad...but there is something I remember clearly from that night."

Tifa listened patiently.

"It was Cloud's eyes," Shera said, not able to believe the words she had just spoken. "His eyes changed."

"His eyes?" Tifa asked. "What about his blue eyes?"

"That's just it," Shera replied hysterically. "His eyes weren't always blue, Tifa. They used to be a deep brown!"

-----------

**Eleven years ago**

The shopkeeper examined the sword with utmost care. Unsheathing it, he stared at the metal, looking for any flaws that needed to be fixed.

"Yeeeees," he sayed lowly. "This edge needs to be fixed. I'll set to work immediately in the morning."

"Are we done?" Cloud asked impatiently.

The shopkeeper raised his hand and went into the back to get something. Shera was busy exploring the "shop" and marveling at the various blades offered. The shopkeeper came back with another Odachi.

"The customer asked me to give this to you before you left."

"We'll make sure he gets it," Cloud replied.

"No, no, no," the shopkeeper corrected. "The sword is yours."

Cloud let his jaw drop. Shera stopped browsing and looked back.

"My customer," the shopkeeper continued, "said that it was an early 16th birthday present. Of course, I don't see why a girl would want a sword..."

The words passed through Cloud's ears with no effect. Politely, Cloud bowed his head and bid the good shopkeeper goodnight.

----------

On the beautiful beach, Tseng sat on the rocks, bidding his time. With dangerous eyes, he scanned the picture of Cloud thoroughly, as if searching for something well hidden.

"Maybe it's just a look-alike," Tseng mumbled. "This kid couldn't be him…he was 21 when I last saw him…"

Tseng slid off of the rocks and landing in a kneeling position, the sand blocking at most of the noise.

"But it could be possible," Tseng continued. "I have to know for sure. I have old scores to settle with that man…"

----------

"We passed through this beach to get to the shop, right?"

Cloud nodded without really paying attention to what she was saying. The Odachi sword had completely absorbed him.

"I can't believe it," Shera said. "Sephiroth got you a brand new katana…I guess he just wanted to steam you up before giving it you…"

"It's not new," Cloud replied. "It's just as old as his…still in good condition though…"

Tenderly, he slid his finger, following the design on the sheath of the sword. He came across a name, etched into the top of the sheath.

"What's this?" Cloud whispered.

"What's what?"

He held the sword closer to his face and read the name.

"Bellezza Spaventosa…"

Cloud stopped walking before Shera noticed. In curiosity, she turned around and saw him, staring at the engraved name. Eyes widened and turning pale, Shera thought that her cousin had seen a ghost.

"_Agita…"_

At first, the word seemed like a whisper. But Shera hadn't said a word.

"_Agita…"_

Again! Cloud looked around the beach. No one else seemed to be there.

"Cloud?" Shera asked. "What is it?"

"_Agita…Agita…Agita..."_

Cloud gave his new sword a sickened look and gulped.

"Let's go back," he said. "To that shop, I mean…"

"Up those stairs again?!" Shera questioned in disbelief. "No way…"

"You can wait for me here then," Cloud suggested. "I want to give this sword back in exchange for Seph's money…"

"Give it back?!" Shera asked. "That's rude…Seph-chan will be pissed off if you do that…I thought you've always wanted a sword of your own."

Cloud shook his head frantically. His temporarily small fingers trembled around the sheath of the sword.

"I don't like this sword," he replied. "It gives me the creeps…"

Three shots rang out and fell in a row by the teenagers' feet. Forgetting about their conversation, they turned their attention toward several men running towards them. Tseng casually lagged behind.

"We should run," Shera whispered harshly.

"We can't," Cloud whispered. "Those shots intentionally missed us…they'll hit us for sure if we run…"

With guns pointed, they surrounded the teenagers in a circle. Tseng made his way through the circle and stared smugly at his prey.

"_The kid may seem younger," Tseng thought to himself, "but the man I know was able to completely change his outer appearance too…this kid has done the same thing. I'll have to test the kid out…"_

"It's been a while," Tseng said in casual Chinese. "You're still the same genius…able to change every inch of your body to suit your fancy…even to the very hairstyle…It's nearly impossible to identify you…"

"Who are you?!" Cloud asked in English, rudely.

Being a man with little patience, Tseng reached forward and grabbed the "girl" by the hair. He yanked forward, pulling Cloud with it, and held him up to his face.

"Don't play dumb!"

Shera grabbed Tseng by the wrist, trying to loosen his hold on her cousin. Annoyed, Tseng punched her hard in the face with a free hand. She fell onto the sound and passed out. Doing his best to look behind, Cloud saw his cousin lying unconscious on the ground.

"_This guy isn't human either," Cloud thought._

The unwanted hand yanked harder onto Cloud's hair.

"Come quietly with us and no harm will come to her…and try not to fight back..."

----------

Shera woke up to someone shaking her vigorously. She slowly opened her eyes and saw Rude staring her intently. She heard men shouting and running around the beach, some running in the opposite directions. She was too dizzy to notice anything else.

"Are you alright, Miss Crescent?"

Shera nodded and held her face where she was punched.

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"I think they took him away," Shera whispered. "I can't remember much…that man had a really mean punch…"

----------

Slashing the large knife again, Tseng gave him another cut. With the fifth wound, Cloud fell backwards against the brick wall. He gritted his teeth in pain and clutched the wound that was the deepest. Several men stood a few yards away watching impassively.

"What's wrong with you?" Tseng asked mockingly. "Don't tell me you've lost your touch…"

"I don't know you," Cloud repeated weakly. "You've mistaken me for someone else…"

Tseng signaled for one of the men to hand him something. A moment later, the Odachi sword that Cloud previously had in his hands was tossed onto this lap.

"Then explain to me how you came into your possession of this sword."

"It was a present…I just got it...why do you care?"

Grabbing the teenager by the neck, the merciless torturer hoisted him up and pinned him hard against the wall.Tseng go of his neck and began to press the side of his face further into its rough texture. The Odachi sword fell to the ground.

"Aren't you boiling with anger to see me again?" Tseng asked in Chinese. "Don't you despise me as much I despise you?"

"Well, you're certainly not making a good impression right now," Cloud whispered.

"Stop fooling around..."

The torturer let go of Cloud, letting him sink onto his knees in the ground. Then, Tseng took the butt of the knife and swung down hard.

"You're exactly like him!"

The butt of the knife made violent contact with the back of the victim's head. He forward into the sand it did not move. Tseng became disappointed.

"It's not him...I was mistaken...Yes, it must have been a mistake...this boy's eyes are brown anyway..."

He turned around and casually walked away, passing his men. He stopped and pointed to two random men.

"You two," Tseng said. "Stay behind and dispose of him...come back when you're done."

He signaled the other men to follow, and they headed back to the open beach. The remaining two watched as their group disappeared.

"Say Jack," said one of the men. "What was that about?"

"Don't know, don't care...I'm just doing my job...I'll do the disposing..."

Jack cocked his gun, turned around to do his "job", and was startled to find that Cloud was slowly getting up, reaching for the katana left behind. The manner was strange though; as soon as his fingers touched the hilt, they began to touch it in an unstable way, tapping it like a child who was unfamiliar with something. Familiarity seemed to come in a split second, and his hand forcefully gripped the hilt. With a new strength, he was standing upright, facing the man who wanted to shoot him.

_"That hit to the head should've knocked him out for hours!"_

Something wasn't right, and Jack could feel it creep down his spine. This boy was different somehow, not even looking him in the eye. Or at least, that was what Jack thought. This boy that he needed to kill had his head tilted in such a manner that yellow bangs shielded his eyes from the outside world. Jack tried to shake off the uneasiness and pointed the gun at his target. Cloud simply walked closer until he was less than two yards of Jack.

"Hey kid," Jack said. "Any last words before you fall to your death?"

A smile appeared on the "doomed" person's face. In one moment, the katana was quickly unsheathed and slashed twice before Jack could even blink. A stream of blood poured into the air, and he fell dead onto the sand.

"It's not the fall that kills you...it's when you hit the ground, you son of a..."

The other man studdered, trying to say something, trying to scream out Jack's name, trying to curse...but nothing came out. In a baffled rage, he pulled out his gun and aimed it with a shaky hand.

"Don't move!"

Rebellious, the former victim strolled towards the man casually, stained sword in hand. The smile on his face was turning sinister. A cold shiver was opon the man, but he kept his hand fixed on the trigger. It was pulling the trigger that was the problem.

"Why don't you shoot?"

The man wasn't able to answer. This was not the boy that they had chased down.

"Where did Tseng go?"

The man mentally screamed at himself to pull the darn trigger. This boy, in the guise of a girl, titled his head up ever so slightly, and the man finally caught a glimpse of his eyes. So affected was the man that his body completely froze.

"If you can't tell me where Tseng went," the boy said coldly, "then I have no use for you..."

The Odachi was swung again, and the man screamed in horror. He fell, half-conscious, and his radio-com plopped out onto the sand. A hand stole his gun. In a dizzy haze, he stared at the radio-com and averted his eyes to a shadow quickly disappearing. With the last of his strength, he struggled to reach for the radio.

----------

After his men left him, Tseng was finally able to enjoy a cigarette. It did not last long; his radio-com went on, and a weak, almost dead voice spoke on the other end.

"S-s-s-sir...the boy..."

"What about the boy?" he asked. "What's taking so long?"

"D...d...d..."

Tseng held the com closer to his ear.

"What's going on over there?"

In a hysterical, delirious fit, the man wheezed out his last word.

"Demon..."

Tseng heard the sound of something being dropped and a exhausted moan.

"Hello...hello...hello?!"

No answer. Confused, Tseng contemplated on going back to see what had happened. He heard a gun click in the distance and reflexively grabbed his own. Two shots were strategically and hit Tseng in both of his legs. He cried out in pain and fell forward on his stomach. The gun slid in the sand, a few yards away. He dragged himself by his upper torso, striving to get the pistol before the next attack. His hand was just over it when the shooter kicked it away from his reach. Then, Tseng was dealt a terrific crack to the head by a katana's hilt. His face plunged into the sand.

"Is it fun...getting hit on the head like that?"

The katana and gun were dropped on to sand. Grabbing the knocked-out Tseng by the arm, the boy dragged him towards the water.

"I don't feel like wasting bullets or blades...I'll drag him into the water and drown him..."

He took a few steps before stopping, feeling a wave of pain overwhelm in his head. Gnashing his teeth, the boy dropped the arm and held his head as the wave became stronger. Rendered into a state of shock and trauma, he fell onto his knees, still holding his head and whimpering. The pain subsided, and Cloud seemed to be himself again. Looking behind, he saw Tseng, lying prone in the sand. The deep cut began to sting terribly again, and Cloud clasped his hand onto it on reflexively. He took his hand away and it was painted red with his own blood.

"Forget this guy...I got to get out here...where's Shera?"

His eyes searched around and saw the sword, sheathed once more, lying a small distance away and immediately felt sick again.

--------

The early evening had turned into late evening. Shinra answered his cell phone, with Rude on the other line. The chauffeured car drove on, not knowing how dire the phone conversation was. Tifa sat next to her adoptive father and remained unattached to the one half of the conversation that she heard.

"Yes?" Shinra asked.

Incoherent words were passed.

"I see…well…I'll send them to you…they have a tracker; they will come to you."

Shinra hung up and searched for another number in his contact list.

"Taking care of business?" Tifa asked innocently.

Shinra smiled and put a fatherly hand on her shoulder.

"Yes, that's exactly what I'm doing."

----------

"This is my fault," Sephiroth said quietly. "Making them go by themselves... idiot!"

"This was unforeseen," Rude replied. "Get over it..."

Their boots crunched the sand beneath them with each step.

"As I recall, " Sephiroth answered, "they're not **your **cousins...you'd have a bee up your boxers if they were...I should have come with them..."

A prone figure in the distance caught their attention. Sephiroth ran up to it and saw that it was Cloud. A few yards away was the Odachi, the birthday katana. Gently, he began to shake his cousin and called out his name a few times. His efforts received a slight stir, and Sephiroth carefully turned Cloud over on his back. He noticed the terrible bleeding.

"F...feliciano?" Cloud whispered.

Sephiroth frowned in confusion. Rude stood over, watching and listening carefully. Slowly, Cloud opened his eyes, and Rude saw Sephiroth's face go from confused to horrified, and he did not understand why. Cloud's eyes, the once deep brown had turned into a dark brown. Then, Cloud weakly shook his head.

"No...you are Seph-chan now..."

Sephiroth was still disturbed.

"Seph," he continued, "that experiment...sixteen years ago...it failed...my past memories...they're coming back to me now...my past mind...this mind...we've blended..."

Sephiroth bit his lip in disbelief but continued to listen. Rude simply took what he was witnessing into account.

"Is Shera okay?" Cloud asked.

"Yeah...she's fine, kid..."

Cloud nodded and smiled in relief.

"Oh...and Seph-chan..."

"What is it?" he asked quietly.

"Don't ever make me deliver your katana again..."

* * *

If anyone is confused, just PM me and I'll explain it.


	9. Redefining the Past: In Unwanted Custody

**And now, let's take a short break into the present (again).**

Cid nearly wanted to crush his cell phone out of frustration when he heard Cloud's answering machine. The night was over, and it was now precisely ten o'clock in the morning; Cloud had never returned. Understandably, Cid was nothing short of pissed off.

"Hello…this is Mr. Strife…please leave your name, number, reason for calling, and if necessary, your address, and I will call back as soon as possible…"

At the tone, Cid immediately yelled into the phone.

"Hey, butt monkey! Get your spiky-haired self back the hotel right now! Do realize that you have been gone overnight?! You better say your prayers, pretty boy!"

Cid hung up the phone and began to hyperventilate; his face was getting redder by the minute. Reno watched in macabre fascination, yet still grasping the fact that the "client" had been behind them all this time. Cid stumbled back to his seat at the table and asked for a double martini. He laid his head down.

"That kid," Cid said, "Is the very reason I started drinking…"

"Does Cloud do this to you a lot?" Reno asked.

"Yup…on a regular basis…he's eccentric… and reckless to boot…the worst combination for a guy like me…"

The waitress sat the breakfast martini on the table and left without a word.

"Can you guess how old I am?" Cid asked.

"Fifty?" Reno asked.

Cid shook his head. "No…I'm 38-years-old…I started gaining my extra years when I started babysitting the little jerk."

Vincent returned and took his spot at the table. Reno looked around, expecting another person to be there, but there was no one else.

"Where's little Miss Lockhart?" Reno asked.

"She's gone," Vincent replied. "I used her extra room key, and the room was empty. I tried to call her too, but there was interference on the line…"

Cid buried his face in his hands.

"Knowing him…they might have eloped together…he's the son of Lucifer, I tell ya… he's enjoying this; I know he is!"

Vincent looked to Reno for an explanation, but Reno sat back and snickered.

----------

**Back to the past…**

Mrs. Elizabeth Strife burst into the hospital room and violently turned her head, looking for her son. Shera was startled and nearly dropped her book on the floor. Cloud sighed and thought, _"Typical parental behavior."_

Like a doting mother should, Elizabeth flung herself on her son and began to suffocate him with love and a lack of air. She hardly heard his muffled cries of protest as she started talking away.

"Oh, honey!" she cooed. "You're not in any pain? Have they stabilized you? Did that brute leave any scars on you, precious?"

"_I wish my mom were like that with me," Shera thought woefully._

----------

A table was set up in a small room. Around it sat Mr. Shinra, Mr. Jonathan Strife, Rude, and Madame Luciano herself. Jonathan tapped his pointing finger over and over on the desk in a panic. Shinra waited impatiently for an answer, and Rude remained unattached. The Madame stopped the recurrent tapping of the finger with her hand.

"Have courage," she whispered. "It will be alright…nothing will happen as long as this is under my will."

"We will follow the Madame's orders as she has already stated," Shinra interjected. "There's no need to worry…"

"You won't keep him inside all the time will you?" Jonathan asked.

"Mr. Strife…"

"He hates being kept inside like a caged bird," Jonathan continued. "It's not good for him either…"

"Mr. Strife!"

Jonathan stopped rambling and took a deep breathe.

"Alright…I'll agree to it. I'll let you take him…but where?"

"We plan on taking him somewhere in Germany," Shinra declared. "That's alright with you, isn't it?"

Jonathan Strife nodded in submission.

----------

"Thank God mum left to get food," Cloud mumbled. "I couldn't breathe…and I'm so frigging hungry!"

"Is food all you can think about?" Shera asked. "With that bump on the back of your head, I'm surprised that you can think at all…"

Cloud leaned on the pillow in his bed and stuck his tongue at her.

"You're just jealous because I have a faster metabolism than **you**," he sneered.

Shera growled and threw her book into his face. She turned up her nose and pouted for a moment. Cloud picked up the book and began examining it without her permission.

"Hey, Cloud…"

"Yeah?"

"What exactly happened last night?"

He stared at the ceiling, trying hard to remember.

"To tell you the truth," Cloud replied. "I can barely recall a thing…all I remember is some weird guy named Tseng who was torturing me for some reason…everything after that was…what's the word for it?"

"Fuzzy?" Shera suggested. "Sketchy?"

"Sketchy," Cloud agreed. "All I remember is seeing a lot of blood. Then, suddenly... I was just sitting on the beach with Tseng next to me…he was unconscious…I didn't wait for him to wake up. And then, there was the weird part."

Shera leaned in out of curiosity.

"I started remembering really bizarre stuff…"

"You're bizarre stuff," Shera replied jokingly.

"They weren't my memories, Shera…"

"What the heck is that supposed to mean?"

The door creaked open, and Elizabeth Strife came in with a tray in her hands. Her face was pale, as if she was sick, and she said nothing, not even so much as looking anyone in the eye. She set the tray onto a table in the corner, keeping her head low.

"I got a double portion of everything," Elizabeth whispered. "Let me know if you want anymore."

Quickly, Elizabeth walked out of the room, just slow enough for Cloud to see the tears welling in her eyes. And he knew why they were welling.

Shera stared at the door even after it clicked shut.

"What's with Aunt Liz?" Shera asked aloud.

She turned to her cousin for an answer. Instead, he stared down into nothing with a serious look on his face. That was an anomaly in itself.

"Aren't you gonna eat," Shera asked.

"I lost my appetite," Cloud whispered. "It looks gross anyway..."

Suddenly, he climbed out of the hospital bed and walked toward the window.

"There's a beach outside here," Cloud said. "Let's go...I just hope it's not the same one as last night..."

"You lost blood," Shera reminded him. "I don't think Uncle John and Aunt Liz will like that..."

Cloud stared at her. Shera stared back. They stared each other down until Shera finally caved in.

"What if you collapse, idiot?"

"I'll lean on you," Cloud replied flippantly. "You're such as bloody goody-goody...besides, after today, we're not going to be seeing each other for a while..."

And Shera was too shocked out of her wits to make a comeback.

----------

Rufus Shinra handed Rude an old photograph from the 1950s. Rude stared at it for a moment and realized that the person in the picture looked very much like someone he had seen before.

"You see the resemblance?" Shinra asked.

Rude nodded in response.

"There is a special program," Shinra went on. "An illegal program, I must convey."

Shinra sat on the easy chair and rubbed his head. A headache was coming on.

"This program is only practiced in secret by the Farfalle Velenose…and if you tell anyone what I am about to tell you, Madame Luciano will for surely have us tortured to death…"

Rude had no complaints about it.

"Inevitably, some humanoid soldiers die at an early age, much like our late friend, Nicoli di Luciano…immediately after these young soldiers are killed, the FV scientists literally take part of their bodies and use it to create new humanoids…they use it, with other samples…thus making stronger ones out of strong ones. And yet, they are not quite the same at all."

"Sounds like recycling," Rude commented. "Kinda icky though."

"Recycling is not a pretty job in general. Still, the Farfalle Velenose have been doing it since the early 1940s. Madame Luciano does not permit me to know how they accomplish such a feet. They even go as far as to give Blue Lotus the credit for creating these bioengineered people, when in fact it was them who invented the process!"

The listener scratched his bald head.

"And what does this have to do with the fact that Nicoli and the kid are almost exact twins?"

"You fool," Shinra muttered. "Haven't you been listening?!"

Shinra sighed and pulled out more photographs from an envelope. He held them up into Rude's face.

"This is another experimental "human" in the late 1940s," Shinra said. "Who do you think looks most like this person today?"

Rude examined the picture carefully and concluded that the person resembled Lucy Skandon. Shinra slid the picture up and put it in the back of the rest.

"And this person?" Shinra demanded.

"Elena di Luciano."

Another picture was shown.

"And this young man…who does he resemble?"

"Sephiroth Skan…"

Rude became sick with realization. He didn't need to see another picture to finally understand.

"Is it clearer now?" Mr. Shinra asked.

"Crystal," Rude answered weakly.

Out of an old habit, Rude light a cigarette and began to smoke his agitation away.

----------

"You aren't cold or anything, are you?" Shera asked sternly.

Cloud peered at her through the side of his slanted, annoyed eyes.

"We **are** sitting on stone steps," she continued. "So are you cold?"

Cloud rolled his eyes and looked at the sunset. Shera pulled on the blanket wrapped around him, which he was wearing because of her insistence.

"You should see the look on your face," Cloud teased. "You look like an angry tomcat ready to scratch a dog's nose...how scary..."

Shera gave him a funny look.

"You are a strange one, Cloud..."

"All the better to creep you out, my dear," Cloud replied.

Nearby, a violin began to play. It was low at first, quickly rising up to high notes, and then floating back down. Shera closed her eyes and listened, finding the music familiar.

Whoever the violinist was, they had so much skill, so much precision, that they must have been playing all their life.

"He followed," Cloud said. "I didn't know that he brought his violin with him."

Realization clicked into his cousin's head.

"Oh my God!" she chirped. "He's playing his violin! It's Sephiroth!"

Cloud got up on his own, despite Shera's potential protests.

"And he would have gotten away with it too if it weren't for us meddling kids," he added. "I see him on the other set of steps."

They walked together, a small distance away, and indeed, Sephiroth was sitting there, playing his violin. His face was stoic, and his eyes were closed, as if in deep thought. He didn't even react when his younger cousins sat next to him on the steps.

At first, Cloud stared down, not wanting to give a chance for eye contact. Slowly, he bravely looked upon the violinist, who sensed it, and looked back. Cloud sent a sort of unconscious telegram to him.

"_You already know that __**he's **__taking me away, don't you?"_

Still playing proficiently, Sephiroth smiled and then became pokerfaced once more. Shera did not notice the silent exchange of words.

"_Thanks anyway," Cloud thought gratefully. "You know that I like to hear you play."_

As the sun slowly sank down into the reddening sea, Shera still remained unaware of what was happening. As all three of them sat there, on those stone, Japanese steps, she thought nothing of it; she had completely forgotten what Cloud had said before they had left the hospital. As the night slowly came upon them, Shera remained completely oblivious to the fact that she and the Strife family would not be seeing Cloud for the next six months.

(AN: Okay! I'm done writing in the past...for know that is...mwahahaha!)

----------

The door opened, and a white terrier trotted first into the bedroom. He barked a few times, trying to gain attention of the seemingly comatose man in the bed. His attempts failed, and he cocked his white head in bemusement before trying again. He jumped onto the bed in persistence and attacked the still face with his tongue. The once still face frowned, and Cloud slowly opened his eyes, letting them refocus. The terrier howled in triumph, and Cloud sat up in bed.

"You're not supposed to be awake for another twelve hours," an Italian voice spoke.

Madame Luciano stood by the side of the bed, staring at Cloud in utter amazement.

"Then again," she continued. "You never did do anything that anyone would expect…Why should you start now?"

"Aren't you going to say hello?" Cloud teased.

"So you remember me?" she asked with excitement.

Out of proper, cultural respect, the Madame kneeled next to the bed, and they both exchanged kisses on each other's cheeks.

"I hear that you've opened a nightclub in New York," Madame Luciano declared. "Is business well?"

"Swimmingly well," Cloud replied. "Et vous?"

"Comme çi comme ça," she answered cheerily. "It's been rather dull in Italy…even the intrigue has gone dreadfully cold."

"That's because **I **wasn't there," Cloud countered.

The Madame rolled her eyes.

"You are so much like my brother, Nicoli," she whispered. "You look like him too. Sometimes I forget which is which."

Cloud felt a small draft in the room and realized that he was shirtless.

"Any reason why I'm half-naked?"

"Lucy did some blood samples on different parts of your body," the Madame explained. "To monitor your health."

The terrier barked and pranced on the bed, wanting the attention that he felt he deserved.

"Who's this?" Cloud asked.

"Elena's dog, Tintin. He seems rather fond of me though…he seems to like you, too."

Cloud attempted to get out of bed, and Madame Luciano grabbed his shoulders, forcefully keeping him down.

"No getting out of bed for you," she said. "If the others find out that you're out of your coma early, they'll start jumping all over you…and you are in no condition to handle them today. Just pretend that you're still in the coma until tomorrow morning…"

Cloud stubbornly shook his head. Not used to his disobedience, the Madame went from a state of shock into a state of dejection. No obedience equaled no affection to her.

"I'd do it," Cloud said, "but I don't think Marlene would appreciate me doing that…much less Miss Tifa Lockhart…she'd have a fit…"

The dejection turned into a masked state of cheerfulness, with another hidden emotion.

"Miss Lockhart?" Madame Luciano asked, trying to sound innocent.

"Yes…the brunette who came along with us last night…"

"The well-endowed one?" she questioned. "How did you know that she is here?"

"I can smell her perfume in the room," Cloud answered. "She seems to have a fetish for the Creed brand."

Madame Luciano stood up, keeping a smile on her smile.

"Well…If you really want to go out, then it will be on one condition…you have to wear that Gothic Lolita dress that I liked all day…**in your real form**…

Cloud immediately surrendered. The Madame beamed with triumph.

"That's enough talking for you! Well, make sure to stay inside this room…I'll have a maid sneak in some food…"

Almost aimlessly, Madame Luciano walked out of the room, and Cloud scratched his head. Several yards down the hall, Tifa opened the door to her guest room and ran into Madame Luciano, who was not very happy to see her.

"Uh, hello Ms. Luciano…"

"That's Madame Luciano to you."

The reply was stern and cold, definitely unwelcoming. Because Tifa had dealt her share of unfriendly people, she was not taken aback anymore. Instead, she stood her ground and looked the elder woman in the eye.

"Madame Luciano," Tifa corrected. "Tell me…is he…okay?"

Tifa wanted to wash her mouth with soap right then and there.

"He will be fine," the Madame retorted, "As long as you don't pester him…"

"I'll make sure I won't…"

The Madame began to walk away down the hall while Tifa wisely decided to go the other direction.

"_Maybe I'll check on him tonight when everyone's asleep," Tifa thought cautiously._


	10. Masquerade Pt One

As I started wrting this chapter a few days ago, I realized that it seemed a bit rushed. So, I divided it into two parts. I'll post the second one later on today.

* * *

Stealthily, Tifa's guest room door opened without a creak. She peeked outside the door to see if anyone was there, and sure enough, the hall was semi-dark and empty. Tifa became mischievously confident and abandoned her room. She walked quickly and quietly down the hall, not stopping until she was in front of the door.

"Yeah," she said quietly to herself. "This is the right one."

Tifa vanished from the hall as quickly as she had appeared. She wisely shut the door all way, giving her potential time to hide if someone came. Venturing further into the room, Tifa came across a sleeping Cloud, whom she believed was currently in a coma.

"Why am I here? I should be asleep…"

Nevertheless, she forced herself to walk over to the side of the bed and sit down. Tifa almost involuntarily reached forward and ran her fingers through his hair.

"Hmmm…soft hair…"

Tifa heard the door open, and the next visitor ran in, too fast for Tifa to hide. Instead of encountering the Madame, as she expected, Marlene was standing in front of her. Tifa got up and went towards her.

"Who's there?" Marlene asked.

"It's me," Tifa answered. "What are doing here? Isn't it past your bedtime?"

"You're not my mom," Marlene retorted. "Why are **you** here?"

"That's none of your business, kid."

"My mother was not a billy goat!"

Tifa urged Marlene to be quiet. The teen girl remembered and covered her mouth dramatically.

"Sorry," Marlene said quietly. "Madame said that if anyone came in here, heads would roll."

"Why does everyone call her the Madame, anyhow?" Tifa asked. "It's kinda creepy."

"Who knows?"

Marlene leaned to her side and to take a look at her brother.

"He looks like a child when he sleeps," Marlene whispered.

"He acts like one too," Tifa added.

"He can be serious when the time calls for it," Marlene defended.

The lamp light on the nightstand switched on. The two females stared at each other with widened eyes. A third party was now awake in the room.

"It seems I can't sleep tonight without the whole world watching me."

Tifa slowly turned around, mortified and embarrassed, and saw Cloud rubbing his sleepy eyes and adjusting them to the light. Marlene ran past her and jumped onto the bed. She forcefully jumped on her brother, wrapped her skinny arms around his neck, and rained down a thousand kisses on his face.

"You're back," she squealed.

"May I please get a shirt on?" Cloud asked.

He turned to Tifa and smiled in amusement.

"I would naturally suspect the Marlene would sneak into here," Cloud said. "But **you**, Miss Lockhart? Why would you go through so much trouble?"

"I was following Marlene," Tifa lied.

"You were here before I was," Marlene snitched.

"Oh, really," said Cloud. Tifa turned up her nose and looked away.

"It's really not a big reason…it doesn't matter."

"If it's not, then you won't have a problem telling me."

Tifa could just feel the cockiness oozing off of the both of them. It made her furious to no end. Her anger was cut short when the door was noisily opened and an even angrier Madame Luciano walked in.

"I said no visitors!" she shrieked.

"Eeeep!" Marlene cried.

"_Here arrives Madame Creepy," Tifa thought._

Tifa quickly got to the side of the bed for protection. Obviously, just from looking at her, the Madame was not pleased.

"Ah, a few visitors won't kill me," Cloud interrupted.

"I can easily forgive the child," the Madame said. "I still hold woman accountable..."

"Oh, it's okay," Marlene interrupted.

Marlene let go of her brother and hugged Tifa affectionately.

"It's okay," she said again. "After all, she's going to be my sister soon…"

The young adults stared at each other in shock. Cloud smacked his forehead in disbelief. Marlene sighed in relief. Madame Luciano stared for a moment, with her left eye twitching. Then, the Madame seemed to become twenty years younger.

"Mi bambina!"

Marlene wisely got out of the way and closer to her brother. In a matter of seconds, the Madame ran over to Tifa, wrapped her in a strong hold, and proceeded to cover her face in kisses and lipstick. Cloud noticed a pad of paper and a pen on the nightstand and grabbed it.

"Oh," the Madame cooed. "I'm so sorry for being such a brute this afternoon…I thought you were one of those loose women that Cloud used to play around with…you should have told me you two were engaged…I would never had guessed it…"

Tifa became mortified and opened her mouth to speak. Taking advantage that Madame Luciano had her back turned to them, Cloud handed Marlene the notepad, and she held it up for Tifa to see. It read:

"_Play along!"_

Tifa put on a mask of cheerfulness and embraced the Madame like the granddaughter-in-law she was pretending to be. Over the Madame's shoulder, Tifa gave the Strife siblings a dirty look. Marlene tossed the pad behind the bed and shrugged her shoulders.  
Madame Luciano suddenly turned on Cloud in annoyance.

"Why didn't you tell me that you were engaged?" she asked.

"I didn't know how you'd react," Cloud answered. "Sorry…"

The Madame pouted for a moment. She smiled and gave Tifa a double kiss on the cheek before turning around to leave.

"A party is in warrant!" she said. "I'll order a nice sized shipment of sake for tomorrow! And lots of Chinese food!"

The Madame did a victory dance out of the room and shut the door behind. Tifa collapsed onto the bed in a heap.

"Oh, God," Tifa groaned. "It can't get any worse, can it?"

Cloud slapped his sister on the back of her head.

"I could have handled it myself," Cloud said to her. "Why did you have to go and something like say that?"

Marlene rubbed her head in pain.

"Geez, I'm sorry," Marlene retorted. "I saved Tifa from grandma, didn't I?"

"Yes, you did. But now that she thinks Tifa and I are engaged, we have to pretend throughout the rest of the trip…"

It had just gotten worse. Tifa rose up and stared with a hysterical look on her face.

"What?!" she shrieked.

Cloud expected that reaction and almost laughed. Almost.

"In fact," he added, "I have to go get a ring for your finger, Miss Lockhart."

"I'm not pretending with you!" Tifa replied. "We'll just tell her the truth…"

Cloud and Marlene looked at Tifa and burst into painful, tear-jerking laughter.

----------

Tired and disappointed, Herman Gerald leaned back haphazardly in his chair. Today, all hope seemed to be slipping through his fingers. His prize had gone into territory that he could not follow into, and the opportunity to capture it was ruined.

"I should've known that she'd show up in the mix," he muttered. "This changes everything."

At the table, several members of the Board of Directors were seated, trying to figure a way out of the dilemma.

"We could send our Chinese agents after him," a man suggested. "She would think that the anti-bio Triads were responsible…if with planned it just right..."

"I wouldn't risk it," Gerald replied. "She has connections everywhere…even double agents in the anti-bio Triad sections. Eventually, or quickly, she would trace it back to me. Then, she would probably order Sephiroth to deliver my head to her on a silver platter… literally."

"We could continue trying to catch him when he returns to New York," a woman said. "But then again, the Madame may be keeping an eye on him from now on…we were already pushing it in the past already…she probably already knows our actions..."

Herman Gerald rubbed his balding head and got up.

"I'll leave you to brainstorm," he said. "I'm going to check on my son."

----------

Evening came and evening went. It was early morning, six o'clock to be precise, and Tifa was slowly waking up. She realized, in her sleepiness, that her face was buried in her pillow. Her arms were wrapped tightly around it too.

"Weird," she thought. "I usually grab onto people in my sleep…not objects…"

As Tifa became more awake, the "pillow" _was_ a person. Instead of her face being buried in a pillow, it was a person's shirt. In her muddled mind, Tifa tried to sort it out.

"You know, Miss Lockhart…you could have simply just **asked** for a hug…"

Yup…Tifa remembered that voice. It was a British accent and no mistaking it. Tifa immediately let go, mouth opened wide with exasperation. Not phased at all, Cloud yawned and slowly got up.

"What the hell are you doing in my bed?!" Tifa screamed. "Are you insane?!"

"I was afraid that the Madame would become overzealous and try to measure you for a wedding dress in your sleep. I meant to sit in your bed and wait for her 'till 4 am…but then you grabbed onto me and wouldn't let go. Did you know that you're pretty strong for a human?"

"And where would you get such a cock-a-mammy idea like that?" Tifa asked.

"Because she did the same to mother when she married my father…she's crazy sometimes…"

Cloud ducked as a pillow was swung at his head.

"I don't really care!" Tifa yelled. "Get out! Now!"

Cloud shrugged and began to climb across the bed. He reached forward and began to nudge a lump that was sitting behind her.

"Come on, sweet love," he said. "Miss Lockhart's kicking us out."

The lump rose from the sheets and became Marlene.

"She didn't come?" Marlene asked.

Cloud shook his head. Tifa was baffled.  
_  
"Why is she here too?"_

The door to the guest room burst open and a woman with short blonde hair stepped in unannounced.

"Where's that stud muffin cousin of mine?" Elena asked loudly. "Seph, you said that he'd be here…"

Elena saw Cloud sitting on the bed and immediately pounced forward like prowling leopard. She landed on him with such a force that he went backwards on the bed with a bounce. Marlene lost her balance and fell off of the bed. Tifa got off on her own accord.

"It's been too long," Elena whined. "How's NYC? Is it cool? I wanna hear all about it…"

Sephiroth hoisted Elena off. Cloud sat up again as soon as the load was off.

"Hey!" Elena complained. "I was saying hello!"

"Learn how to do it properly," Sephiroth replied.

Marlene gained her composure while Tifa was standing up, watching the scene that had forced itself into her guest suite.

"Hello to all of you too," Cloud said sarcastically. "Now if you will all excuse me, I'm going to take a bath…"

Cloud immediately exited the room; Marlene trailed behind him.

"On the way," Sephiroth said, "the Madame wants to speak with you."

"Thanks…"

And the Strife siblings were gone.

"Can you believe that it's been five years?" Elena asked.

"Can you learn how to greet people normally?" Sephiroth questioned.

"Can you all get out of here?!" Tifa yelled.

----------

It had been 24 hours since Scarlet arrived in Taipei in secret. Sitting alone in a café, she pondered on what to do and how to go about it.

"What now?" she mumbled. "I got to the Peninsula hotel…and I eavesdropped on the guys…and Cloud's missing…so is Shera…this isn't making it any easier…"

The waiter sat a large mug of coffee on the table and she nodded a thank you to him. The waiter did not budge, and Scarlet looked up to see that it was Rude.

"You don't look like a waiter to me," Scarlet said jokingly.

She noticed that an elderly man was standing behind him. Scarlet was surprised at first to see this man, but then she smiled mischievously.

"Back from the grave, eh Mr. Shinra? I had a feeling you were still alive and kicking…"

Shinra laughed and pulled out a chair. Rude pulled another chair from a vacant table and sat with them.

"More or less, I'm here," Shinra replied.

"I'm kinda glad you came here just now," she continued. "I'm having a bit of trouble locating them so…"

"We already know where they are," Shinra interrupted. "That's not a problem… there's been a change in plans."

Scarlet blew on her coffee and sipped on it. It was terrible.

"I've decided at the last minute," Shinra went on. "I don't want you to give antibody to your sister. Just give it to Mr. Strife and everything will be fine…"

Scarlet felt a flag go up in her brain.

"And why do you feel that my sister does not deserve the same treatment?" Scarlet questioned.

"She is in no danger," Shinra answered. "I've taken care of it... It would be wasting the antidote if we gave it to someone who didn't need it. Don't worry; I'll make sure that your sister is safe."

Not wanting to be in a false sense of security, Scarlet did not ask another question. Mr. Shinra hailed the real waiter and asked for a cappuccino. Rude stayed silent. She felt a need to get away as soon as possible.

"They are at Madame Luciano's secondary residence," Shinra said. "Do you need directions, or do you already know where it is."

Scarlet slid out of her chair and grabbed her purse.

"I already know," she answered. "Thank you. Can you pay for my coffee? It sucked."

Shinra nodded graciously and Scarlet left the café in a hurry. Walking four blocks away, in case they could see or hear her, Scarlet stopped, waved for a taxi, and called out in Chinese. The faithful car stopped and she uttered her orders before she was fully in the car.

"Take me to the Peninsula hotel! Now!"

----------

Yuffie tried to bury herself in the magazine, not wanting to see the tea that she was being forced to drink.

"It's good for your body," Tifa explained. "Don't you dare pour it out when I'm not looking."

"Mrs. Tifa L. Strife," Yuffie sang. "Funny how that has a ring to it."

Tifa stared daggers at her friend, who innocently shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm just saying."

Tifa finished pouring the teacups and glanced over at Yuffie, who was avidly reading Cosmo magazine. Shera knocked gently, and Yuffie shouted boisterously for her to come in.

"Hey, Tifa," she said. "The Madame wants to talk to you…"

Yuffie saw her favorite regular article and tuned them out.

"And she wants to discuss the wedding date," Shera replied, trying not to laugh.

Tifa buried her hands in her face. This was **not** a good morning.

"Ooooo," Yuffie cooed. "Listen to this…Cosmo says that people who like to eat cherries are good kissers."

"Cloud **loves** cherries," Shera said jokingly.

Not able to take it anymore, the younger women laughed. Yuffie was rolling over and punching the mattress. Tifa did not find the humor. She stomped out the door, muttering curses under her breathe.

"Very funny," Tifa replied sarcastically.

---------

"Hello…this is Mr. Strife…please leave your name, number, reason for calling, and if necessary, your address, and I will call back as soon as possible…"

Cid groaned decided to give up on calling.

"Why that no good, dirty, rotten…I'll kill him…"

A loud knock came at the door. Cid wearily stood up from his bed and scratched his neck as he went to answer it. Cautiously, Cid looked through the peephole, and saw Scarlet waiting impatiently. As he turned the lock and slightly opened he door, Scarlet forcefully pushed the door and made her way in, uninvited.

"Hey!" Cid shouted.

"Ah, shut up," Scarlet muttered. "Come one. Get your shoes and jacket on…NOW!"

Scarlet opened the hotel closet and searched for the shoes and jacket.

"I'd like to know why you're here first," Cid rejoined.

The shoes and jacket were tossed to him almost dangerously.

"You ask for too many answers! Get dressed…we have to move quickly. He could be watching us!"

Cid reluctantly obeyed her. Scarlet looked carefully through the peephole, opened the door, and cautiously leaned forward to see if anyone was there. No one was there, but she felt uneasy anyhow. As soon as Cid had halfway slipped his arm into the jacket sleeve, Scarlet grabbed it and was soon walking towards the elevators in a speedy pace.

----------

"Ah, good...perfect...I like this scent..."

Lucy was pleased. The Madame handed the vial back, and Lucy carefully placed it into the holder. The counter, neatly organized with many things, included a microscope, beaker, vials, several droppers, and a graduated cylinder. She picked out an empty vial, and carefully filled it with the dropper.

"I call it _Essence of September_," Lucy said proudly. "I just made it. It contains tuberoses, Bulgarian roses, violets, Florentine irises, apple, apricot, melon, peach...jasmine."

"Many ingredients..."

Lucy set the twelfth full vial into the holder.

"You think so?" Lucy asked in surprise. "No...it's nothing compared to how many extracts are in _Virgin Island Water. _That one has at least twelve: essence of copra (which comes the coconut meat), lime of the Antilles, ylang-ylang..."

"You don't have to tell it all," Madame Luciano interrupted.

Lucy apologized and filled a thirteenth bottle.

"Good gracious," the Madame said. "Are there going to several dozen people in your next meeting?"

"It's actually a seminar...there were over a hundred there...there just smelling samples though...I only need twenty-five..."

They both heard a knock at the slide door. Lucy walked over, started the door open, and Cid opened it the rest of the way himself. Lucy smiled in the nostalgia of it all. Cid was almost as red as ketchup, with a funny, angry, completely altered face. He pointed a shaking finger at the Madame.

"I hear that the **kid **is here," he whispered lowly.

"So sorry," the Madame replied in a teasing manner. "I made Cloud go get something from downtown this morning...he should back in a few hours."

Scarlet slipped through the door, barely noticed.

"Then in a few hours," Cid replied. "He dies!"

Scarlet ignored Cid and decided to get to the business at hand. Under her arm, she pulled a manila envelop and held it forward for Lucy to take.

"I take it you want me to examine something in there," Lucy said.

Scarlet nodded gravely. Instead of approaching the manner with a same somber attitude, Lucy took this as an opportunity to test her skills and readily snatched the large envelop with a smile.

----------

Three people, two men and a 13-year-old girl, looked over the several rings picked out and placed on the cloth.

"I like the sapphire one," Marlene said enthusiastically.

"Tifa likes diamonds," Cloud argued.

"Who cares?" Sephiroth interrupted. "Let's just pick the stupid ring...it's not like you're **really** getting married. She doesn't have to keep it..."

Cloud and Marlene simultaneously scowled at him.

"Why waste a perfectly good ring then?" Cloud asked. "That makes no sense...besides, this happens to be a gift."

"Giving rings to women is serious," Marlene added. "Gosh, Seph-chan...You're so insensitive!"

"Insensitivity is too mild a word," Cloud corrected.

Sephiroth waved them off and walked away, saying that he was going to the bathroom. Marlene gave a raspberry to the retreating person and continued to look.

"Couldn't we get something with sapphires and diamonds?" Marlene begged.

"Is this your gift or Tifa's?"

Marlene pouted with her full lips, but Cloud was hardly moved.

"Fine...get the stupid diamond ring," she mumbled.

The salesgirl came up and asked if they had made their decision yet. Both of them shook their heads, not looking away from the rings.

"Well," she continued, in Chinese, "I found two more that just came in."

In her hand, she held out a two rings, each with three gems cut into roses. The difference was that one ring had two sapphires and one diamond, while the other had two diamonds and one sapphire. Marlene forgot about the other rings. Cloud rolled his eyes and let his sister have her way.


	11. Masquerade Pt Two

Sorry...I meant to post this yesterday night...but I had a school project to finish...

* * *

Tifa lay down, silently, staring at the ceiling in dismay. Asian beds were not the most comfortable of beds, so her dour mood was not getting any better. She rolled on her side and curled up into a ball like a cat. 

"Why did she want a freaking wedding date?" Tifa whispered. "People don't usually plan a wedding date this soon…"

She rubbed her head on the pillow and groaned. She remembered the sake that Madame had mentioned and was determined that she would need some right now. Someone knocked on the screen door, making her get up on alert. Feeling the gun hidden in her jeans, she cautiously went over and asked who it was.

"Let me in," Cloud said in a mock-helpless tone. "It may rain out here."

"It's sunny," Tifa replied. "Go through the front entrance like everyone else, you freak…"

"I can't," Cloud interrupted. "Elena came outside and warned me that Cid showed up. And he's pissed off with yours truly."

Tifa growled and reluctantly let him into her room. She immediately pointed at the door of her guest room.

"The exit is that way," Tifa said.

She walked back to the bed and let herself collapse. Instead of hearing the sweet sound of a door opening and shutting, she felt a slight disturbance in the bed.

"I have a present for you," Cloud declared.

Tifa turned and saw Cloud lying on his back next to her. She scooted to the corner of the bed with a squeal.

"Are you obsessed with my bed or something? Get off!"

"I don't want to," Cloud replied like a spoiled child.

For the very first time, Tifa was able to hit Cloud in the face with a pillow. Cloud just sat up and ignored her death glare. He reached into his back pocket.

"As I've said…I have a present for you."

"I don't want anything from you!" Tifa replied. "Just get out of…"

He pulled out a small box and opened it, revealing the ring. Tifa stopped yelling and became hypnotized by the two diamonds and one sapphire, all carved into roses.

"Ohhhhhhhhhhhh…"

"Like it?" Cloud asked. "It's your "engagement" ring…you can keep it after all of this is over with…"

Tifa stared at the ring with admiration and longing. She lightly brushed the ring with her finger, but pulled it back with shame. She shook her head.

"I can't take this."

She pushed the box and his hands away, but Cloud pushed back in resistance.

"Why not?"

"We're not really getting married," Tifa whispered. "This probably cost you a lot of money…"

"It's a gift," Cloud argued. "Take it."

"No," Tifa replied firmly.

"Take it."

"No!"

"Just take it!"

"I said no!"

Cloud took out the ring and threw the box aside. He grabbed Tifa's hand and forcefully, yet gently slipped it onto her ring finger.

"There," he said victoriously.

"You can't force people to accept your gifts," Tifa said. "I'll just sell it when we get back to New York."

"That would really upset me," Cloud replied teasingly.

Tifa swung the pillow, and Cloud managed to dodge this time.

"You're impossible!" Tifa yelled. "Why you are so stubborn about acting this way?"

"Why are you so stubborn in general?" Cloud asked.

Tifa averted her eyes from him.

"I'm not stubborn," she muttered to herself.

"Then what are you?"

Tifa took off the ring and put it in front of his face.

"This is a lie," Tifa said. "We can't keep going like this..."

"Well," Cloud replied, "You have 3 choices then. One, we keep pretending. Two, we tell the truth and cause a family uproar. Three, we **really** get married...the choice is yours..."

"I wouldn't marry you even **if** you were the last man on earth!"

"Well, excuse me!" Cloud retorted. "Who says that I **wanted** to marry you..."

That was the wrong thing to say. Tifa balled up her fist and had trouble restraining it.

"Oh, I'm not good enough for you or something?" Tifa asked angrily.

"I thought you'd feel better if I said it...my God...can't you make up your mind, Miss Lockhart?"

He grabbed her hand again and put the ring back on her finger. Tifa scowled furiously at him.

"Stop making a face," Cloud commanded. "It's too beautiful for that..."

Tifa jerked her hand away.

"Go piss up a flagpole," she replied.

"And a beautiful woman shouldn't be so vulgar with her words," he added.

Tifa rattled off every cuss word she could think of just to spite him. She stuck out her tongue and smiled in triumph.

_"Hey," she thought. "I actually feel a whole lot better."_

"See?" Cloud asked. "Isn't it fun to be whimsical when you don't have to act like an adult?"

Tifa dropped her hand and rubbed her head. She took a deep breath and was finally calm again.

"Why, Cloud? Why?"

"Why what?" Cloud asked.

"I have a lot of why's...First, why do you act like this around **me**?"

"Because I know you that you'll always forgive me," Cloud answered.

Tifa folded her hands and sighed. That _was _actually true.

"Okaaaay then...why do act like so weird all the time?"

"I can't really help it. I hate being normal. You asked me that weeks ago…"

Tifa blew on her bangs. She was expecting that answer.

"On that night, when we first met...why didn't you tell me that **you** were the nightclub owner?"

"I'm not at liberty to say that," Cloud replied. "Shinra told me not to say a word."

"Then why did you dance with me?" Tifa questioned. "That makes no sense."

Cloud raised an eyebrow, not quite able to understand.

"Well, it doesn't," Tifa continued. "I was just trying to have some fun. We made eye contact. We flirted. I asked you to dance. You took it. If you couldn't be honest with me in the first place, why didn't you just ignore me and tell me later?"

He tried to answer, but Tifa went on anyhow.

"It was really embarrassing. I felt like an idiot when you walked into the office. There I was, contemplating a possible future relationship, and BAM! It was like I was on the Jamie Kennedy Experiment! I really wanted to kill you right then and there. I really did! My stupid, adult hormones and me. Oooooooh, why do you have to be so damn attractive?!"

Tifa clamped her hand over her mouth and her eyes widened. Cloud's smile had turned into a blank, yet surprised stare.

_"Ah crap," Tifa thought. "I can't believe I just said that..."_

To her dismay, Cloud began to smile again. Tifa felt sweat beginning to form on her face.

_"That can't be good. He's gonna make fun of me again...he'll never let it be..."_

"Because I'm looking at you, Miss Lockhart," he finally replied.

The answer took Tifa completely off guard. She decided to say something, but forgot to plan out exactly what to say.

"Well if you're so hot for me," Tifa replied in an annoyed manner, "Then why aren't you all over me?"

Cloud stopped to think and let her words process in his brain. Tifa smacked herself for blurting out another stupid comment. Before she could take it back though, he had already tackled to her down to the bed, smothering her with kisses.

"Hey, wait a second!" Tifa yelled. "I didn't mean it, you retard!"

Her words fell on deaf ears…or at least, ears that ignored them.

He traced her neck with butterfly kisses, making her tremble and utter foreign noises. For a while, she accepted the attention…until the attention started going lower than her liking. Tifa gasped and forcibly pushed his head up and away from her chest.

"Didn't you here a word I just said?!" Tifa yelled. "I didn't mean it!"

Cloud gave her smile, but it was not his signature one. It looked more cunning… evil…almost predatory and animalistic. Tifa felt her heart skip a beat. He proceeded to attack again.

At first, he only brushed his lips against hers, but then, the kiss became more and more demanding, frightening and exhilarating her at the same. He stopped, lightly nibbling on her lower lip, whispering his answer in a sultry manner. Tifa felt herself groaning in frustration.

"Then you shouldn't have said it in the first place."

Tifa was happy for him to dive back in, whether she wanted to be happy or not.

"_Who are you, and what have you done with Cloud-sensei?"_

----------

Lucy peered into the microscope and finished the last test. There was no mistake; she knew what it was. Scarlet leaned on the wall, waiting for an answer. Madame Luciano sat down in her chair and calmly drank hot sake. She already knew everything.

"Where exactly did you get this again?" Lucy asked.

"Rufus Shinra had sent it to me through mail," Scarlet answered. "He said that it was a serum to make sure that my sister and cousin didn't regain their memories. I had a strange feeling that what he was saying was crap."

Lucy gritted her teeth.

"That's not all," Scarlet continued. "He's still alive."

"How surprising," the Madame replied sarcastically. "He came to see you, didn't he?"

"Yup...he told me that he had changed his mind. He wanted me to forget about giving it to Shera. 'Just give it to Mr. Strife and everything will be fine.' Those were his exact words."

The Madame smiled and finished off the glass. She began to snicker, and it quickly rose to a whoop. She drank a large amount of sake, straight from the bottle. Lucy and Scarlet stared at each other, shocked that their grandmother would behave like this. Madame Luciano wipes her lips with her fingers and chuckled.

"Not bad, Rufus," she said in surprise. "However, if you wanted to fool us, you should have counted on a woman's intuition."

"Translation?" Scarlet asked.

"That is no antidote," the Madame answered.

The Madame began to laugh again and drank more, neglecting the cup again. Scarlet didn't see what was so funny about it. Lucy began to safely dispose of the poison.

"I haven't laughed like that in five years," Madame Luciano declared.

"Shall I inform the would-be victim?" Lucy teased.

The Madame stopped laughing and became serious again.

"No…not yet…I'll tell him myself tomorrow…we're having a party tonight."

Scarlet, meanwhile, was trying to stomach what she had just heard.

"Where **is**Cloud anyway?"

----------

Elena walked past a certain door and stopped.

"This is the room he was in when I saw him this morning…I guess it's his."

Elena felt for something hidden in the back of her pants and trembled nervously. Whatever was there, she touched the handle and became confident. Her face became hard and emotionless.

"Now's my chance," she whispered. "He won't be expecting it."

Elena didn't bother to knock on the door. To her, it was now or never. Silently yet swiftly, she made her entrance, completely prepared for what she came for. But not completely expecting the unexpected.

All resolve went flying out the window. Elena stood where she was, realizing that she had caught her older cousin in a slightly private moment. They were too "busy" notice her at first, and she wanted to get their attention. Humiliation stopped her mouth.

Cloud was the first to sense that they had a spectator. Slowly, he got up, as if backing away from a snake. He made eye contact with Elena and smiled nervously.

"Oh bugger…"

Tifa was slightly confused to what was going on, let alone why Cloud stopped kissing her. She opened her eyes, noticed Elena, and got up in a rush, nearly causing Cloud to fall off of the bed.

"Uh, don't mind me," Elena said. "Sorry for interrupting…I leave and let you do your business…"

"No! No! No!" Tifa cried. "You're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong! You're wrong!"

Cloud discreetly slid the spaghetti strap of Tifa's shirt back on her shoulder.

"Uh, thanks," Tifa whispered.

"Oh no," Elena replied. "There's no need to lie… I just came here to talk my cousin. This is his room, right?"

"It's mine," Tifa replied.

Elena scratched her head and laughed.

"Sorry! My mistake again! Well, see you later, stud muffin!"

Elena walked out the room but quickly came back.

"By the way," she said. "Nice lipstick, Cloud."

"Thank you…"

As soon as Elena was gone, Tifa had him by the collar.

"You really know how to play with matches in a powder keg," Tifa said angrily.

"It takes two to make-out," Cloud reminded her.

Tifa let go of his collar.

"Two?! You practically forced yourself on me!"

"And you fought quite valiantly," Cloud replied in heavy sarcasm.

Tifa pointed a shaky finger at Cloud and tried to speak back, but she couldn't say anything to it. She buried her face in her hands and groaned.

"_You incompetent, mindless creature!__" Tifa scolded herself. "As soon as he touches you, you're all over him. Stupid, inhuman beast!"_

"Can Elena keep a secret?" Tifa asked.

"Are you kidding?" Cloud replied. "She'll tell everyone."

Tifa wanted to cry again.

----------

"I miss Vincent," Yuffie whined.

On a couch in a sitting room, Yuffie pouted and drank her third cup of tea for the day, with Shera strictly overseeing it.

"You know…this stuff ain't so bad once you get used to it…"

"Glad to here it," Shera muttered.

She set the teacup down and flipped through People Magazine, relishing the latest gossip of her favorite celebrities. Elena stormed past, obviously upset about something. Cid walked through about the same time, still looking for Cloud. The brushed past each other and acknowledged the other for a moment. A few yards later, Elena turned around and called out to Cid.

"If you're still looking for Spiky," Elena said. "He's with his fiancée."

"What fiancée?" Cid questioned.

Yuffie began to swallow some tea.

"I dunno…some balloon breasted girl…I forget her name…anyway, I wouldn't bother them if I were you…they might be busy playing "Tonsil hockey"…"

Yuffie spat out tea and stared at Shera in shock.

"Maybe we shouldn't have told Tifa that cherry lovers are good kissers," Shera replied, grinning.

They laughed at the same time and did a high-five. Cid became more displeased than ever.

"So he's been fooling around all this time," he muttered.

Shera stopped laughing and growled. She got up and was immediately in Cid's face.

"Oh, give him some slack," Shera scolded. "It wasn't his fault that didn't come back. He collapsed the other night. He wasn't well at all."

"Huh?"

Shera gave Cid her famous scowl, instilling a subtle sense of fear in him.

"As soon as Cloud shows up," Shera continued. "I want you to apologize! If I were you, I'd be ashamed of myself."

"But he…" Cid began.

Shera's scowl became more deadly, and Cid gulped in defeat. All the while, Elena found the outburst entertaining and sat by Yuffie to watch.

"Wow," Yuffie said. "This place must have an affect on people's minds. Shera loses her temper, Madame Luciano is a psycho grandma, Tifa lets Cloud make-out with her. This place is weird."

"Why would the last one be weird?" Elena asked. "They **are **engaged, after all."

"Engaged doesn't mean crap," Yuffie replied. "Tifa doesn't look it, but…"

Yuffie signals with a finger for Elena to come closer. Furtively, Yuffie leaned over and whispered in her ear.

"Truth be told," Yuffie whispered, "Tifa's a virgin…"

"You're right," Elena said. "She doesn't look it all…it must be the boobs."

"I feel sorry for her though," Yuffie said. "I mean, she'll be 28 on May the 3rd, and not once has she…"

Elena put her hand up in a stop-sign gesture.

"Did you say that she's 28?"

"Almost…why?"

Elena snickered and averted her eyes.

"What's so funny?" Yuffie asked.

"Has Tifa ever taken an interest in men that are younger than her?" Elena asked.

"Huh?

----------

Tifa walked into the sitting room, alone, and saw a crowd that had accumulated. Something seemed to be very amusing amongst them, for there was snickering and hysterical laughing everywhere.

"Oh God," Tifa muttered. "She **did** tell everyone."

Lucy spotted Tifa and violently nudged Sephiroth with her elbow.

"Ouch," Sephiroth responded. "Whatcha do that for, you ho?"

Lucy slapped on the back of his head and pointed at Tifa. He understood immediately.

"Hey, Tifa!" he called out. "How old are you?"

"Uh…I'll be 28 in May…"

Nearly the whole room burst into a wild uproar. The Madame, who was in the corner, was shaking her head with her hand on her cheek. Tifa saw Yuffie sitting alone on the couch, and sat next to her among the small crowd. She was the only one not laughing.

"What's so funny?" Tifa asked.

"Cloud will be 27 in August, Tifa," Yuffie answered. "You're more than a year older than him…"

"So, what?" Tifa asked. "Why does that matter?"

"Elena can't keep a secret," Yuffie replied.

Their private conversation was interrupted by Sephiroth.

"Hey, Tifa," he said. "I didn't know you had such an interest in kids. Are you sure that's healthy?"

"I'm sure it's not that bad," Elena interrupted. "At least he's out of high school…"

The room was once again in an uproar.

"A year is not a big deal!" Tifa replied. "Haven't you heard of Demi Moore and Ashton Kutcher?"

No one cared.

"I don't mind you keeping my cousin happy," Shera said, joining in. "I just don't think that your fashion agency will approve being loaded down with Mighty Kids' Meals expenses…"

Shera covered her mouth, trying to hold in a laugh. Yuffie became worried as Tifa seemed closer and closer to exploding. And explode she did.

"What is wrong with you people?!" Tifa yelled.

Everyone became dead silent, but they still smiled.

"An older girl dating a younger guy is like a tall girl dating a shorter guy: it doesn't matter!"

"Here here," the Madame muttered.

"And if all of you still think it's funny, then you can go screw yourselves, you pig-headed morons!"

Yuffie puckered her lips into an "o" and said nothing. Everyone, except the Madame, stared at Tifa as if she were a leper. She suddenly realized that she had defended her "engagement" and held her head in misery. Tifa slowly retreated out of the sitting room, about the same time Cloud was coming in. Tifa put her hand over his face and lightly pushed him back into the hall with little resistance.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Cloud asked.

"Don't go in there," Tifa warned. "They'll start cracking 'old lady' jokes."

* * *

I'm tired...I'm going to bed...good night everyone... 


	12. Dressing and Stressing

Hey...everyone...I'm going on vacation this Saturday...I hope I can still post chapters...I hope...waaaah...

* * *

**_Shera, age fifteen, aimed carefully at the pins. She took a deep breathe, rolled the ball and watched as it went shooting towards it target. It made contact, and she got a strike. Shera threw up her fist in triumph. _**

****

**_"Yes!" _**

****

**_Sephiroth oddly kept to himself and occasionally glanced at Lucy, who was busy "entertaining" a guy at another station. He growled in contempt and said nothing. _**

****

**_"You really need to stop being so selfish over her." _**

****

**_Sephiroth immediately turned on the messenger. _**

****

**_"Whadda ya mean 'selfish'?! So what if she likes to flirt with low-lives. More time alone for me..." _**

****

**_Sephiroth could be very immature sometimes. Cid shook his head for all the silly young people in the world. He dug out his wallet and pulled out more money. _**

****

**_"Hey kid!" _**

****

**_Cloud sensed a challenge and turned. Cid waved the money in the air with a grin on his face. _**

****

**_"If you get a strike this time, I'll get two large pizzas when we get home." _**

****

**_"Deep dished with mozzarella and tomatoes?" Cloud asked. _**

****

**_"Deep dished with mozzarella and tomatoes," Cid replied. _**

****

**_Cid heard the light clank of a bowling ball quickly leaving the machine. He smiled, confident that he wouldn't have to pay a thing tonight. Cloud was convinced of the exact opposite. _**

****

**_"You have made a terrible mistake, my friend," Sephiroth declared. _**

****

**_Cid turned to him and raised his eyebrow in disbelief. _**

****

**_"He hasn't gotten a strike throughout the whole game," Cid replied. "Odds are..." _**

****

**_"Odds schmodds." _**

****

**_Cloud was torturously taking his time. Locking a careful aim for the pins, he muttered something to the ball. _**

****

**_"_**雲 軋・殲滅 臨時: 颶風**_!" _**

****

**_Taking a deep breathe, he finally released the ball. The sound of an impact and falling pins filled everyone's ears. Cid watched in horror as all ten pins fell and were swept down by the machine. The teen did a victory dance, much to Cid's contempt. _**

****

**_"And Cloud Strife rocks! _**

**_Don't forget my cheese sticks. _**

**_Deep dish, deep dish. _**

**_It'll cost twenty bucks!" _**

****

**_"Nice rendition of 'Ring around the Rosy'" Sephiroth complimented. _**

****

**_"I demand to know how you did that!" Cid shouted. "What did you say before you threw the ball?" _**

****

**_Cloud only answered with a smile and sat down. Sephiroth went up for his turn. Cid decided to ask elsewhere and leaned over to Shera. _**

****

**_"Hey...what did he say?" _**

****

**_"He said 'Cloud Strife's Annihilation Special: Hurricane'," Shera replied. "In Japanese, that is." _**

****

**_"But what does that have to do with getting a strike?! And why Japanese?" _**

****

**_Shera shrugged and watched as Sephiroth got a gutter- ball on his first throw. Lucy walked back and saw. _**

****

**_"You suck!" she said. _**

****

**_"Shut up, wench!" _**

****

**_Lucy sat down and began to pat Cloud on the head. Cid felt his cell phone vibrate and pulled it out. _**

****

**_"It's Momo," he said quietly. _**

****

**_Cloud caught wind of the name and growled in hostility. Cid answered with utmost caution. _**

****

**_"Momomi?" _**

****

**_"Hey, Cid," Momomi answered. "Whatcha doing?" _**

****

**_"I'm at a bowling with Valentine and her friends," he replied. "And you?" _**

****

**_"I got off of work early today," she replied. "Come on over. I'll cook dinner. You sound bored..." _**

****

**_Meanwhile, Lucy's gossipy nature took over. She nudged Cloud on the shoulder to get his attention. Only Shera witnessed Sephiroth's second gutter-ball. She noticed that Cid was busy and decided to do his turn for him. _**

****

**_"Who's Momomi?" she asked. _**

****

**_"Some red-head tramp that Cid's been dating for the past two months." _**

****

**_"Why a tramp?" Lucy inquired. _**

****

**_"When you meet her, you'll know." _**

****

**_Shera cheered as she got yet another strike. Cloud glared at Cid in an irritable manner, who was completely oblivious to why Cloud was irritated in the first place. Instead, Cid nodded and listened to the woman on the other end, said his good-bye, and hung up. He put his owed twenty dollars on the table at their station and got up. Shera looked back before releasing the ball again. _**

****

**_"I'm phasing," he said. "Don't wait up for me." _**

****

**_Cid got everyone's acknowledgement, except for a certain blonde teen. Cloud got up, mumbling something in Italian, and grabbed a bowling ball for his turn. _**

****

**_"What's the matter with you?" Cid asked. _**

****

**_"Ah, get lost," Cloud replied. _**

****

**_Cid shrugged and went on his way. As soon he was gone, the pins appeared to be ten mini-Momomis standing in the distance. Cloud released the ball in a furry. _**

****

**_"Die, whore! Die!" _**

****

**_Cloud got another strike. _**

****

----------

Lucy slid her cup of tea towards her on the bar counter. She noticed that Cloud was finally out of his flashback. Immediately, she became nosy, and tried to prod him.

"Did you have another one?" Lucy asked. "What was it this time? No, wait... let me guess..."

"We were at some bowling alley in Sonoma," Cloud quickly answered.

Lucy pouted in disappointment. She had wanted to hear something exciting.

"Say...you remember Momomi, right?"

"Momomi Yukihime?" Lucy asked.

Cloud nodded and a visible shiver went up Lucy's spine.

"Momo, the psycho-lady," she said.

"What a nightmare, eh? I never had an affinity for her anyway."

Lucy snorted and pushed a cup of tea in front of them. Cloud thanked her and began to drink.

"Cloud, you abhorred her very breathe!"

"That's true, too."

"I think she had a crush on you, too," Lucy added.

"Don't remind me."

Shera walked into the great room, searching for someone. She spotted Cloud and grinned from ear to ear. A pair of pink shoes were in her hand.

"I've been looking everywhere for you," she said.

"Me?" Cloud asked.

Elena walked in with a frilly, pink in her arms. The moment Cloud saw it, he began to cower with fear. He asked a profoundly stupid question.

"What's the dress for?"

"We **are** having a party," Shera responded. "We were a little bored, so…Since it's going to be nice, we thought that you could shape shift into a girl and..."

In a moment, Cloud had bolted across the large room and escaped through the door at the opposite wall. Shera watched with her mouth still open in mid sentence. Elena pouted and stamped her foot on the ground. Lucy snickered.

"Why does he always run away?" Shera asked.

----------

Tifa walked through the hall, already wearing her attire for the night. Shera and Elena walked past her with the shoes and the pink dress. Tifa eyed it and gagged at the frills.

"Who's gonna wear that?" Tifa asked.

"Cloud will," Elena answered. "If we ever find him."

"He ran away and hid," Shera explained. "We looked in his room, his bathroom, outside, in the Madame's master suite, the kitchen, in the cupboards of the kitchen... Cloud always was good at hide and seek."

_"He sure has a reason to hide," Tifa thought. _

Shera and Elena continued down the hall. Tifa did likewise in the opposite direction. She passed through an open area, showcasing Chinese paintings, a large bamboo plant, and a gigantic pot with a golden dragon painted on it. It sat underneath a painting, next to the wall, and was crowned with a large top.

"That is monster-sized," Tifa mumbled to herself. "It's so big a person could fit in it..."

A light bulb turned on Tifa's head, and she groaned in disbelief. She shook her head, walked over to vase, and took off the top. Cloud panicked, afraid that he had been discovered but was relaxed again. Carefully, he sat upright in the vase.

"Cloud-sensei...why are you hiding in this pot?"

Tifa examined him further.

"And why are in that form again? Are you a transvestite?"

"I tried to fit inside this thing in my real form... but I couldn't."

Tifa groaned again and set the top down.

"In retrospect," Cloud continued, "I should have changed my form into a child instead of a woman. It would have been much more comfortable."

"Do you realize that you have taken desperation to a whole new level?" Tifa inquired. "I would have understood if you hid up a tree. I would have accepted the roof. Heck, I would even have agreed with a bathtub in some random room. But a super-big pot?!"

Tifa got into his face at stared at him, as if she had x-ray eyes.

"Tell me, Cloud... Are you certifiably nuts?"

Immediately, Cloud gave her peck on the lips. She yelped in surprise and backed away, covering her mouth.

"Only a little," Cloud answered. "How about you?"

"If you're gonna kiss me," Tifa said, "At least don't kiss me when you're like that!"

"But I'm not really a girl," Cloud answered.

"THAT'S NOT THE POINT!"

"Having fun?" another voice asked.

Tifa turned around and saw Madame Luciano walking casually into the open area.

"You hid in the pot again?" asked the Madame. "They still haven't figured out your favorite hiding spot out, eh?"

Cloud nodded in triumph. Tifa began to realize that the whole family was nuts too.

The Madame held a sleeveless, black Chinese dress in her arms.

"Et tu, Madame?" Cloud asked in misery.

The Madame pouted and held up the dress in all its glory. It was obviously silk, with a white, intricately embroidered dragon on the torso. Cloud sighed heavily and gave in. Carefully, he climbed out of the vase and retrieved the dress.

"All right," Cloud said. "I'll wear it…but no makeup!"

"I love you too, Nicky," the Madame replied.

Cloud walked away with as much dignity as he could. Madame Luciano had a smug, proud grin on her face that Tifa found disturbing.

----------

A small band set up their instruments in the corner of the great room. Cloud quietly told himself to _calmly _keep drinking the tea and wait for the guests. Lucy saw an 18-karat gold pendant around his neck and became very nervous. Without permission, she grabbed the pendant and shook her head, maternally.

"Cloud…why are you wearing this one?"

"It brings back great memories," Cloud replied. "Why? Is that a bad thing?"

"You stole it from a marketplace in Saudi Arabia!" Lucy shouted. "For fun!"

"As I said, it brought back great memories."

Lucy reached over and pinched Cloud on the cheek.

"Owww!"

"Don't you know that they beat you with metal poles if they catch you stealing there?" Lucy asked.

"We're not human, remember? Their blows would be as potent as water-balloons. And besides, that's in **Singapore**. In Saudi Arabia, they cut off your hands…"

Lucy leaned forward and rested her forehead on Cloud's.

"What are you doing?"

"When I'm this close to you," Lucy explained, "I can almost hear the fuses blowing in your brain."

"When I'm this close to you," Cloud replied facetiously, "I can almost hear echoing elevator music!"

Lucy tilted her head back and scowled.

"I liked you better when you were fifteen, geeky, and yet polite," Lucy said.

"And now I'm sexy …"

"Ah, drink your tea, you conceited maniac!"

Cloud was mischievously obedient.

"It's the oddest thing," he said. "A week or two ago, I was threatening to break your neck and you were insulting me. Now, I sitting beside you and relaxing. Life's a whirlwind, eh?"

"For people like us, yes. I remember calling you a creature one time, didn't I?"

"I don't remember."

"I guess there's no need for an apology then," Lucy responded.

Cloud gave her a raspberry.

"You seem to remember that we're relatives now…how much do you remember?"

"I have absolutely no idea," Cloud answered. "How much does Marlene remember?"

Lucy shrugged her shoulders.

"Do you remember Nicoli?" Lucy asked bravely.

"You mean my dead great-uncle?" Cloud asked. "I was 'born' after he died, wasn't I?"

"That's… not what I meant."

"Then what **did** you mean?"

Cloud kept eye-contact with her while sipping tea. Lucy pressed her lips together and breathed out.

"Forget it… it's not important."

Cloud pretended to believe her and finished off the tea.

"You really look good in that dress," Lucy commented.

"That's not funny."

The Madame made an entrance into the room. Marlene trailed behind her, wearing a smaller matching dress to the one her brother was wearing. Cloud nearly died at the sight of it.

"We're the only ones that are 90 minutes early," Marlene declared. "Adults can be slow sometimes."

"Most of them are women," Lucy explained.

"Oh…"

Marlene stared at her older brother. Supposedly, as everyone imagined, she was unable to recognize him (which would probably be for the best). Marlene titled her head forward, squinted her eyes, and then straightened it back with wider eyes.

She turned to her grandmother and said, "How did you sucker Cloud into wearing make-up this time?"

"It wasn't easy," the Madame answered.

The jaws of Cloud and Lucy dropped like a dime.

"It may seem that Marlene's memory is better than yours," Lucy said to her cousin.

Cloud said nothing and stayed mortified. Shera and Elena walked into the room, already dressed, and with pissed off looks on their face. Cloud became even more mortified.

"That's really mean, Cloud!" Shera whined. "Why don't you ever wear the dresses that we pick out?"

_"Because I'm not your bloody experiment," Cloud thought. _

He wisely did not say this aloud, for he was a firm believer in the phrase "hell hath no fury like a woman scorned". They already seemed angry enough. It was probably time to run again.

Elena had her arm behind her back. She pulled it out and revealed a pair of hair scissors in her hand.

"It's time you got a haircut again, Cloud," she declared.

Yup, it was time to run again.

----------

"How does **this one** look? Tifa asked.

Yuffie stared at the green Chinese dress and put her thumb down. Tifa sighed and began to unbutton it. Four more dressed to go.

"Green isn't good on me anyhow," Tifa said.

Tifa got the green dress off and dropped it on the bed with the rejected pile. She grabbed the red dress and began to consider it. Her bedroom door was abruptly opened, with no knock at the door, and Cloud rushed in with a pair of towels in his arms. Yuffie was startled, but was unable to recognize him. Tifa, however, screamed and hid her half-naked body behind the red dress.

"What the $# are you doing?!" she screamed. "Get out!"

"You got a pair of scissors?" Cloud asked desperately. "And a vanity mirror?"

"Right over there," Yuffie replied. She pointed to a vanity mirror with hair tools at the other side of the room. Tifa scowled at her friend and continued to yell.

"I can't get dressed when _you're_ here!"

"Um, aren't we all girls?" Yuffie asked.

Cloud began to set up shop despite Tifa's protests.

"If Elena, Shera, Lucy, or the Madame show up at the door and ask, say that you haven't seen me. This is the only place I can hide now."

He flung the first on the floor and sat a chair down in the middle of it. Tifa growled and got into the red dress. Yuffie didn't understand the situation.

"What are you doing anyhow?" Tifa finally asked in a calm manner.

"I'm hiding from my family while giving myself a major haircut," Cloud answered. "I'm styling it myself before they can go and butcher it."

"Then I guess you can stay," Tifa said. "But leave when you're done!"

"I won't be finished by the time you're done choosing your dress."

"Fine then…"

Tifa finished putting on the dress and asked again for Yuffie's opinion. Yuffie frowned a little and shook her head.

"Nah…I don't like the style."

"The red dress is perfect," Cloud interrupted. "Wear it."

"I kinda like it too," Tifa answered.

Yuffie sulked and walked out of the room. The door clicked shut, and Tifa shook her head in shame.

"A spoiled child that always wants her way," Tifa mumbled.

"You wrong her, Miss Lockhart…she just wants you to look good…"

Tifa noticed that a lot of hair was falling on the towel.

"Why are you cutting so much?"

"I'm cutting it in a way that they won't be able to fix my hair the way _they _want it. I don't really care what my hair looks like in this form…just as long as I look decent…"

Tifa felt queasy as more hair fell on the towel. The snipping kept going and going.

----------

It seemed that a million guests had arrived. Tifa caught the attention of a few people, and they waved to congratulate her. Tifa waved back nervously and leaned over to Cloud, who was sitting next to her at the table.

"This has gone too far!" Tifa complained.

"No it hasn't," Cloud argued. "A party would have happened anyway. The Madame always wants an excuse for a party. I'll tell you when everything has gone too far…"

Tifa covered her face with her hands.

"Next thing I know, I'll be being fitted for a wedding dress…"

"I won't let it go that far," Cloud said.

Tifa gave him a dirty look, and he gave her his usual grin.

"What'll people say when they think that Cloud Strife isn't attending his own engagement party?" Tifa asked.

"Everyone here knows who I am," Cloud replied.

The boss man of the Triads himself came up to the table and bowed.

"Strife."

"Huang-Ye."

_"This is going to be a very long night," Tifa thought. _


	13. Dining With Criminals Pt One

Phew! Every time I finish a chapter for this story, I get a headache... Brain pain!

* * *

Vincent lay still on his bed and stared at the ceiling. Reno paced around the room, anxiously, without saying a word. He took out his cell phone and called Cid again, with the same results: no answer. 

"We have been abandoned, haven't we?"

Reno grunted in agreement.

"What about Tifa though?" Reno asked. "And Yuffie? I don't know what to think of Cid… what's going on around here? Is there something we don't know?"

Vincent got off of his bed and headed out of the room.

"Where are you going?" Reno asked.

"To get a drink…"

Vincent saw a piece of paper, previously slid underneath the door.

"Did the maids slip this under?"

Roughly, he picked it up and read it to himself.

_Job's over. Meet me at lobby now. Don't worry about missing persons. _

_Shinra _

----------

Huang Fa, the ex-Fu Shan Chu of the Triads, sat in the hotel desk in the dim light. He glanced around himself frantically, as if expecting someone to be there. When he saw no on, he turned away, only to do it again.

"Where is Min?" he asked aloud. "He was to be back here 5 minutes ago!"

He tapped his middle finger on the wooden desk and continued to glance around the room for the unknown someone. They still didn't show themselves.

"No doubt that they have contacted the Madame about this matter. And doubt that she will send one of her 'children' after me. I have a mind to order a cup of tea, but then the Madame could make Lucy sneak an "unusual cocktail" in it."

He felt a shiver up his spine and shook the horrible thought out of his head.

"I can't dare go near the windows either," he continued. " Miss Crescent is the best sniper in the business."

He saw that the window curtains were closed and sighed in relief. But he still wanted some tea.

"No room or cleaning service either. Elena could easily sneak in a bomb."

Huang Fa noticed the part of his face that he had not finished cleaning the other day. He cautiously got up and headed for the bathroom.

"Worst of all," he said, "The Madame could send Sephiroth to give me the closest shave I'll ever have. Him and that oversized katana."

He held his neck and gulped in terror. "If I had to die, I would rather have Elena send me a bomb. Anything but that sword-wielding maniac. They'll find me eventually. It's only a matter of time…"

----------

"Where's Seph-chan?" Lucy asked. "I needed to give him something tonight."

"I sent him to collect shrouds for me tonight," the Madame answered. "He will be back within the hour."

Lucy growled in anger but bowed in head in respect. "Thank you, mother dear…"

She went back to mingling with the guests, hiding her anger as best she could. Marlene, who had listened without meaning to, nudged her brother on the arm and whispered in his ear.

"What are shrouds?" Marlene asked.

"Shrouds?" Cloud asked. "In what context?"

"The Madame said that she made Seph-chan collect shrouds tonight."

Cloud bit his lip and tried to figure out the words to answer. Tifa decided to stay out of it, even though she didn't know the answer herself.

"How's the fashion business going?" Elena asked.

"Hmmmm?"

"The fashion business," Elena repeated. "Is it really as glamorous as they say?"

Tifa snorted and sipped on her wine.

"You wish!" Tifa replied. "I constantly have to keep my weight down so I can fit into the dresses that they want to promote through me. Sometimes, I have to skip lunch or dinner. Or both. I go hungry some days."

"Ouch…"

"That's not all," Tifa continued. "I sometimes have to wear these five inch heels and stand in them for hours! Under lights that make you sweat to. Events can cut into personal time too… like when I had skip going to the amusement park with Yuffie to promote Escada at a nightclub. That really tanked."

"Why are you in the business then?"

Tifa blushed and sipped on her glass.

"I like to dress up and pose in front of cameras," Tifa answered sheepishly. "It's what keeps me young."

"E bellissimo," Elena added.

"What?" Tifa asked.

"And beautiful," she quickly translated.

Elena glanced over and saw the waiters coming with appetizers. Tifa felt guiltier than ever before.

"The Madame sure can do a lot with little time," Elena said. "It took her only one day to set this all up. How does she do it?"

Tifa groaned and rubbed her hair out of her face.

"But who cares?" Elena asked. "After all, we Sicilians love a good party. And we sure can plan them."

"Sicilian?"

"The Madame…Seph-chan…me…we're full blooded Sicilian. Italian, if you prefer that."

"Nice. Is Italian you first language?"

Elena nodded while a waiter sat a hot plate of pot-stickers down on the table. She offered the first serving to Tifa, who refused politely.

"Yup, I speak fluently when the time calls for it. But it doesn't right now, does it?"

Elena tore some meat off of the stick and frowned.

"This is too much," she whined. "Why do they always give you more than you can eat?"

Elena stared at Tifa with puppy dog eyes.

"Can I share with you?" she asked. "This sticker is enough for two people at least."

Tifa shrugged and slid her saucer over. Cloud stared at the pot-stickers for a moment and then grabbed two of them. Elena paid no attention, but Tifa let her jaw drop in horror.

"Uh, hello? Didn't you just here what she said?"

"Yeah…why?

"That's enough for four people!" Tifa complained.

Elena lightly put her hand on Tifa's shoulder. Tifa turned to her, and Elena shook her head.

----------

The dead body of Min lay in a pool of blood in the bathroom. Sephiroth walked away casually, fiddling with the victim's wallet. He found an envelop, holding the hotel key car, with the room number conveniently written for the guest. He smiled like a child who stole a cookie, patted the sword underneath his long coat, and quickly left, whistling a tune.

----------

"Hey, Cloud?" Marlene asked.

"Uh-huh?"

"You look _hot_ in that dress."

Cloud did not want to answer.

"And Cloud?"

"Yes?"

"What are shrouds?"

Cloud stared at his sister through the slits in his eyes. Marlene smiled and was not moved.

"The actual term or what the Madame meant?" Cloud asked.

"What the Madame meant," Marlene replied.

Cloud signaled Marlene to come closer.

"Her words have a double meaning," Cloud explained quietly. "It comes from 17th or 18th century history. Shrouds were big, blanket-like sheets that they used to cover up dead bodies. Like the body bags that they use today."

Marlene raised an eyebrow.

"The Madame asked Seph-chan to get her body bags?"

"Haven't you read _A Tale of Two Cities_ in class yet?" Cloud asked.

Marlene nodded.

"Remember Madame Defarge?" he inquired.

"The creepy, psycho lady who wanted to kill Charles Darnay and his family?" Marlene asked.

Cloud nodded with a smile.

"She was always knitting people's names onto a huge blanket…and then there was this guy called Jacques Four. He asked her one time what she was knitting and she answered…"

Marlene caught herself before answering.

"He asked her," Marlene continued, "and she answered 'shrouds'. The Madame sent him to take someone out tonight? You mean right now?!"

_"Oh lovely," Cloud thought sarcastically. "She already knows more than I want her to know." _

"Do you think he brought his Odachi with him?" Marlene asked, unconsciously raising her voice. "I wonder if he already renewed it this year."

"Keep it down!" Cloud whispered. "Miss Kisaragi is sitting at this table."

"But if he uses his katana," Marlene continued undauntedly, "Blood might get all over the place…I hope he tells me _all _about it!"

"When there's a sunny, spring shiny day in hell," Cloud replied.

Marlene pouted and wrinkled her nose. Cloud wanted to take an aspirin. An extra strong aspirin.

"You know," Marlene said, "Before you stopped smoking, you weren't _this_ strict with me."

"Before I what?!"

----------

Sneaking into the room was easy, after fiddling with the unresponsive key card for a minute. Quietly, Sephiroth opened the door and peered into the room.

"A multi-room suite," he said. "Nice…"

In the living room, no one was there to "greet" him. So much the better. Still cautious, he slowly stepped into the room, listening and observing carefully.

A light was on in one of the rooms. He proceeded with care and welcomed himself in. A windy breeze filled the room, much to his surprise. The window had been broken. Sephiroth stepped deeper into the room and saw blood still seeping from the bathroom. The target laid his back, throat torn in a gruesome fashion.

"Damn."

He walked out of the bedroom and pulled out a cell.

----------

A maid calmly stopped at the table and whispered intimately into the Madame's ear.

"Madame, there is call for you. It's Mr. Skandon."

"Thank you, forward it to my suite."

The Madame excused herself from the table and left the great room in a hurry. A long walk down the hall and she was in her private quarters. She grabbed the phone with anticipation…and a touch of playfulness.

"Hello, Seph dear… have you killed him yet?"

"He was a mere pawn," Sephiroth answered. "Just a pawn."

Madame Luciano frowned but smiled again.

"How interesting…what gave you that idea?"

"He was dead before I got here…he was exposed, which meant that he failed, and they killed him as a result. It's as simple as that."

"Then I suggest that you leave the hotel at once," the Madame instructed. "If **_they _**did this, then you are in danger as well. Good-bye."

The connection was cut and Sephiroth continued walking toward the elevator. A woman stood by waiting for him, leaning against the wall. He recognized her immediately: Japanese, long, red hair, tanned skin, long legs, black eyes…it was her alright.

He stopped next to her but did not face her.

"Your handiwork?" Sephiroth asked.

"No," she answered. "I don't take out fools. Someone did it for me."

He smiled and nodded in agreement.

"How is my Blue Eyes?" she asked. "Still sexy?"

"And taken," Sephiroth added.

The woman stared in dumbfounded shock. Her face then contorted into rage.

"Taken?!" she shrieked. "Whaddah ya mean taken?!"

"Taken is taken," Sephiroth replied. "He's interested in another girl. In fact, he's completely smitten. Her feelings are likewise…she just won't fully admit it yet."

Sephiroth enjoyed the anger that was boiling inside her. He pushed the elevator button, pretending to ignore it, and stepped in as soon as it opened.

"It doesn't really matter either way," he continued. "He'll always dislike you, Momomi."

"That's what makes him all the more attractive," Momo answered bitterly.

The elevator doors shut, and Sephiroth was left again.

"This is bad," he said. "If she's here, then so is **he**…"

----------

Tifa and Yuffie walked together, arms locked, towards the bar.

"Thanks for stealing me," Tifa whispered. "I was a minute from a heart attack."

"It's nothing…"

The bartender saw them and immediately catered to him.

"Apple martini for me," Tifa said. "Piña colada for her."

He nodded and filled another man's drink before setting about it. Tifa looked closer and realized that it was Cid, with his head buried in his arms, sitting at the bar.

"Why are you so down?" Tifa asked. "It's still a party."

"This ain't no ordinary party," Cid responded.

The bartender produced the apple martini and went back to the running blender.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Yuffie asked.

"Uuuunnnghhhh."

Yuffie shrugged and received her drink. She wrapped arms with Tifa again and coaxed her away.

"Let's go outside and get some fresh air," Yuffie suggested.

Cid ignored them as they walked away. He glanced over his shoulder and made eye contact with the Godfather. The Godfather waved energetically, and Cid briefly waved back before turning away and grimacing. He looked over his other shoulder and saw the Shan Chu flirting with his young wife, Mai.

"I hate dining with criminals," Cid mumbled. "Tifa has no idea, does she?"

Cid felt a pat on his back and winced.

"I believe this **is** a party," Cloud scolded.

"Well excuse me if I feel peeved about being in the same room with people who crack skulls for a living."

"The bartender cracks skulls for a living," Cloud pointed out. "I think you should know that…"

Cid didn't want a drink anymore.

"I envy you," Cid grumbled. "Able to keep a level head in a room full of…"

"Thieves?" Cloud asked. "Killers? Prostitutes? Bodyguards? Smugglers? Rogue scientists?"

"And you don't have a problem with that?!" Cid shouted.

"Never bothered me before. I thought it was pretty normal when I was a kid."

The bartender walked up again.

"Anything for you, Mr. Strife?"

"Not yet."

"Refill, sir?" the bartender asked.

"Heck no!" Cid shouted.

The bartender backed away cautiously. Cloud laughed.

"You can laugh about it," Cid said sarcastically. "You gain half off you memories back, and you're already part of the group?!"

"I've learned to take life as it comes," Cloud declared proudly. "Besides, for some reason, this feels like my kind of crowd."

"Were you dropped on your head as a baby?" Cid asked. "I know I've asked that before, but I just want to make sure again."

"I dunno…"

Cid nodded and decided to get another drink, despite the circumstances.

"Watch your liquor there," Cloud warned. "I know what you're like when you're drunk."

"As least I don't act like **you** when you're drunk…"

Scarlet finally made her appearance at the bar, much to Cloud's chagrin.

"Hey, boy!" she shouted to the bartender. "Get me Bourbon!"

The bartender politely fetched the Bourbon without becoming annoyed.

"Nice dress," Scarlet commented. "Did the Madame sucker you into wearing it?"

"Ah, leave him alone, you bia…"

The bartender handed Scarlet a glass of Bourbon.

"What was that?" Scarlet asked harshly.

"Oh nothing," Cid replied.

Scarlet sneered at him and tasted her glass.

"What a reveling, red dress you have there," Cloud said. "Trying to give everyone a free show?"

"I'll take that as a compliment," Scarlet responded.

"I said **trying**."

Scarlet growled and tasted her Bourbon again.

"Cute," she replied.

Cloud felt the satisfaction of her leaving the bar. The bartender watched with fascination and came back.

"Would you like something **now**?" he asked.

"Bring me the strongest vodka you've got."

* * *

Out of curiosity: Have you ever seen, met, and/or talked to a drunk person? I've met at least two or three drunk people in my lifetime. 

If your brave enough, I would like to hear your experiences with a drunk person. Just to be fair, I'll tell you one of mine:

When I was twelve, my grandparents took me to Taipei, Taiwan to visit a few friends, to introduce me to more of the Asian culture, and secretly, to take my grandfather to a surprise birthday party. I was babysitting their friends' grandaughter, Isabella, or Izzy, when we came across this woman in a red dress. Izzy immediately didn't like her (bless her 2-year-old innocent heart) because the woman was showing off and drinking a lot a champagne. I didn't like her much myself, so I just ignored her. Later that night, the woman was so drunk that she started flirting with my grandfather and complimenting how young my grandparents looked for their age!


	14. Dining With Criminals Pt Two

It drives you nuts how I drag the Cloti romance out, doesn't it. Well, never fear. I sincerely promise that things will get better... I hope.

* * *

"What do you mean by 'our jobs are over'?" Vincent asked. 

"It is what it means," Shinra answered. "Why should you complain? You're getting paid aren't you?"

Reno sat back in his seat, with the same mindset and attitude.

"The women?" Vincent asked.

"Taken care of."

"Marlene Strife?"

"Safe."

"Cid and the client."

"Forget them," Shinra replied bluntly.

"Why?" Vincent questioned. "Don't we have the privilege of at least knowing why?"

"I'll explain everything once we get back to headquarters. For now, abort the job and come back to New York."

Shinra slapped the airplane tickets onto the table and got up. As he turned to leave, he stared at Vincent, harshly.

"Vincent."

"Yes sir."

"Never question me."

Shinra was gone seconds. Vincent grabbed the tickets and examined them.

"I don't like this…I don't like this at all."

----------

The bartender gave up and closed the bottom cabinets. He stood up and shrugged his shoulders to a certain blonde who had been waiting patiently for several minutes.

"Sorry, Mr. Strife," he said. "All the vodka's been cleaned out for now. I'd come back later when the other bartenders come back."

"Hell," Cloud muttered.

The bartender apologized and filled Cid's beer glass half way with the nozzle.

"People are drinking away tonight," Cid said. "Tough luck, kid."

Cloud looked over and saw two men caring two large boxes of alcohol.

"Mmmmmm, reinforcements!"

"What?" Cid asked.

Throughout the room, the people cheered. The "booze boys" barely made it to the bar, and the bar became the center of attention. And to Cloud's delight, this meant more vodka. The bartender saw to that. Amidst the confusion, three late-coming people entered the room. A tall, red-headed woman was flanked by two men, one which she clung to. She let go of him and looked around excitedly for someone.

"Cloud?!" she shouted.

The woman finally saw him at the bar and rose up her hands stylishly.

"Cllllouuuuud, d-darling!!!" she shouted louder.

Cid stopped drinking and turned his head to see what had made the alien sound.

"What's that?" Cid asked.

"Vita San Felucca," Cloud answered, while sipping his new-found vodka glass. "She's the daughter of the Godfather, a model, like Miss Lockhart, believe or not, and unlike Miss Lockhart, a thumping bore!"

The thumping bore and the men came made no move towards them, and Cloud was able to breathe again.

"What's your history with Miss Felucca?" Cid asked.

"We grew up together before I went to high school," he answered. "I saw her every summer when I visited the Madame in Tuscany. Oh dear God, if it weren't for the fact that her mother gave me sweet cream gelato every time I came, I would never have gone to her house. She still came to the Madame's estate once in a while when her father was there on business."

"Neck breaking, investments, or shipping?" Cid asked jokingly.

"I love it when you talk dirty," Cloud replied.

A drunk, laughing woman stumbled past them while they were talking and tripped. The glass of red wine in her hand slipped and spilled all over the Cloud's dress.

"Oh…I'm shorry," the drunk said cheerfully, voice slurred.

The woman kept walking, spilling her drink all the way.

"God must be on my side tonight," Cloud said to Cid. Cid laughed loudly.

Cloud drank up the last of the vodka and set the glass down on the counter.

"Make sure the bartender fills that up again."

"You're abandoning me?" Cid asked.

"I'm checking to see if Marlene actually went to be like she was supposed to. And I can't stand around with stained clothing, now can I? Make sure not to tell Elena and Shera about it though. They'll try to dress me again…"

----------

Tifa and Yuffie stepped back inside. Yuffie glanced around the room, curiously, but did not find what she was looking for. She nudged Tifa on the arm.

"I've been looking all night, and I haven't seen Cloud once," Yuffie said. "What gives? Where'd he go?"

"No clue," Tifa lied.

Yuffie kept looking around. Tifa left her to go back to the bar to get another martini. Cid had stopped drinking, as a precaution, and waved her over.

"Where's Cloud?" Tifa asked.

"Drunken lady spilled wine all over him," Cid replied. "He'll be back in a sec."

Sephiroth, fresh from the city, sat a few stools down, ordering hot sake. Strangely, he was not in a good mood. Tifa approached him and sat down.

"What's with you?" Tifa asked.

"The Madame made Cloud wear one of her dresses again," Sephiroth replied. "I was just unlucky enough to miss out. _This time._"

Tifa rolled her eyes and asked one of the bartenders for another apple martini.

"I don't see the big deal about it," she replied. "If you ask me, it sounds like a sick family ritual."

"It is if you say it with that attitude."

"And the reason for it?"

"A very, long story."

Tifa leaned closer and stared at him with "dinner plate" eyes.

"Let me guess," Sephiroth said. "You're gonna say 'I like long stories'."

"Yup."

"I guess I'll have to tell you than, eh?"

Cid came between them in a huff.

"Trust me," Cid said. "You don't wanna know."

Cid glared at Sephiroth and pointed at him with a shaky finger.

"Seph, don't tell her. You told me. You shouldn't have told me, but you did."

A bartender left the apple martini on the counter and handed it to Tifa.

"Now I'm telling you, Tifa...you don't wanna know!"

"For some reason I'm going to take your word for it," Tifa replied. "Thanks for the FYI..."

Sephiroth shrugged and nearly took a drag from his sake glass. He spotted someone out of the corner of his eye. Someone he was looking forward to meeting. He slipped off of his stool and walked towards this certain someone, arms outstretched, expecting a hug. This someone, however, did not look very pleased.

"Cloudie-sama!" Sephiroth sang. "Heard that the Madame suckered you into wearing lady clothes again. And this new one is so you! And the loose pants..."

"Cloudie-sama" gave Sephiroth a slap as soon as they were a yard apart. He shoved a box into Sephiroth's face.

"You snuck into my room this afternoon," Cloud said angrily. "Is this your idea of a joke, sicko?!"

"What's the box in your hand?" Cid asked.

"Sephiroth's little present..."

Cloud tossed the box to Cid. Cid looked it over and saw the note taped onto it. He read over it and his eyes widened in shock. He flipped up the note, to see the contents of the box and flushed beat read.

"What's it say?" Tifa asked.

Cid reluctantly gave it to her, and she read it aloud.

_Cloudie-sama,_

_Shame on you! Tifa's been under your roof for more than a month and you haven't done anything? Have you lost your touch? Here's a little token that might help you along. _

_Bon Chance!_

Tifa let her jaw drop in horror. She flipped up the note and saw that she was holding a handy little box of "the pill". Tifa blushed, feeling very uncomfortable, and squeezed the box tight.

"I was just helping," Sephiroth said.

"What kind of perverse help is this?" Cloud asked. "I don't want, or need, any help from you! And what the heck were you doing in my room? How many times have you been sneaking around in my room? How long _have_ you been sneaking around in my room?"

Sephiroth smiled and put a highly unwanted arm around Cloud's shoulder.

"My eternal brother," he sang. "I am always at your side."

Sephiroth leaned closer and kissed Cloud on the cheek. Cid braced himself for the obvious outcome, and Tifa blushed even more. Cloud's left eye twitched. He threw off the arm and gave Sephiroth another slap.

"Don't say stuff like that!" Cloud replied. "It creeps me out! And we're not brothers!"

Sephiroth recovered and stretched out his arms again, as if he were trying to get a hug.

"Don't to be so heartless, my brother..."

Cloud's left eye began to twitch again, but this time, out of a nervous fear.

"Y-you stay away from me!" Cloud shrieked.

A crowd had gathered, watching the familiar display with amusement.

"I want a restraining order first," Sephiroth teased.

His hands rested on the terrified blonde's shoulder. As a teasing gesture, he puckered up his lips and leaned forward. Immediately, to everyone's delight and Tifa's surprise, Sephiroth was dealt a swift knee in groin. The guest around them began to cheer ecstatically, but Cloud didn't care at all. Sephiroth had sunk onto the floor, in the fetal position, moaning and mumbling curses.

"How's that for a restraining order?" Cloud asked.

"Alright," Sephiroth whispered in a high pitch voice. "I get it. I'm sorry..."

Cloud stepped over him and went towards the bar countering.

"Vodka!" Cloud commanded. "Give me vodka!"

Cid handed the newly filled glass, and Cloud proceeded to guzzle it down.

"How often does that happen?" Tifa asked.

"Often," Cloud answered.

"Very often," Cid added.

"Then I finally dub your family crazy," Tifa retorted.

"What took you so long?" Cid mumbled.

Tifa looked at the small box and smiled.

"I think I'll keep them," she said.

Cloud and Cid stared at her in silent shock. Tifa pouted.

"Ah come on!" she defended. "I hear they're good for your skin too!"

----------

Scarlet, obviously drunk, was flirting Miss Felucca's beau. Miss Felucca returned from the crowded bar with her drink and gasped when she saw her boyfriend ogling another woman. Like a mad tigress, she rushed up to the table and gave her boyfriend a hard slap on the back of the head. As the couple argued, Scarlet strolled casually away from the table, giggling.

Meanwhile, Tifa became very concerned with the amount of alcohol her "fiancé" was drinking.

"Uh, Cloud-sensei? Are you...alright?"

"Alright?" Cloud asked. "Alright? 'Course I'm alright. More than alright! How 'bout you?"

"I figured as much," Tifa mumbled.

Tifa panicked when Cloud tried to take another sip. She grabbed his hand, along the glass, and set it down gently.

"You've had one glass to many," Tifa declared.

Tifa quickly got up through the table, taking the half full glass with her. She dug her way through the thick crowd of party-goers, which was becoming thicker, and left the drink on the bar counter. Tifa heard her name being called, and Yuffie, who seemingly came out of nowhere, grabbed her arm.

"This is for you," Yuffie said.

Yuffie handed Tifa a cell-phone.

"It's Mr. Shinra."

Tifa stared at Yuffie incredulously and snatched the phone.

"H-hello?"

"Hello, Tifa."

Without an explanation to Yuffie, Tifa rush through the crowd to find a more private place.

----------

"Cloudy, my looooooooove!" Scarlet chirped.

She wrapped her arms around Cloud and buried her face in his hair, murmuring heavily drunken nonsense. In a slightly drunken irritation, Cloud wriggled out of her embrace, only to get trapped in it again.

"Where's Tifa?" Scarlet sang.

"Humph!" Cloud replied. "Not telling..."

Scarlet gave out an angry pout. Sephiroth, who sat across, decided not to get involved.

"Do you like Tifa more than me?" Scarlet whined.

"I like everyone more than you," Cloud answered calmly. "Save for a special few."

"Humph!" Scarlet replied. "I don't see why!"

Sephiroth snickered. Scarlet gave him a nasty glare, and he stopped.

"I like you more than most people," Scarlet said quietly.

"Good for you," Cloud answered.

"Why don't you like me?" Scarlet asked angrily.

"Do you want the short list or the long one?" Cloud replied, with another question.

Her already red face was turning redder.

"Now listen here," Scarlet growled. "I'm family, aren't I?"

"Sadly, yes."

"Well then you have to like me, eh?"

"That's why I'm the black sheep of the family," Cloud answered.

"You want to be?" Scarlet asked.

Cloud shook his head.

"Then you have to like me!"

Cloud turned slightly, and looked her in the eye. Lightly, he put his hand over hers and gave her a sweet smile.

"Scarlet," Cloud replied softly. "Quando l'inferno si congela sopra."

Sephiroth tried to suck in a laugh and failed miserably. He let his head drop and his body shook in agony. Scarlet finally let go of her cousin and walked over to Sephiroth.

"What did he say?" Scarlet asked curiously.

Sephiroth looked up at Scarlet and continued to laugh.

----------

Almost aimlessly, Tifa handed the cell back to Yuffie and walked through the crowd.

"So?" Yuffie asked.

"We're supposed to meet him in secret," Tifa answered. "In secret."

Tifa wrapped her arms around herself and shivered. First, she had heard her "father" was dead, and now, he calls her up like nothing had happened. What in God's name was going on?

"What's with you?" Yuffie asked.

Tifa shook it off and smiled.

"It's nothing..."

A loud, angry shriek filled the room, turning every head. At a certain table, Scarlet had Sephiroth by the collar, her face red with Bourbon and rage. Cloud casually stood by them, with a slightly annoyed look on his face.

"Whadda ya mean 'when hell freezes over'?!" Scarlet yelled. "Are you making fun of me?!"

"But that's what he said," Sephiroth replied. "Don't kill the messenger..."

"That _was_ what I said," Cloud added.

Scarlet whirled her head around and snarled.

"Shut up, Cloud!"

Cloud cringed and rolled his eyes. Yuffie let her jaw drop in shock, making Tifa panic. Yuffie lifted a shaky finger and pointed it at the "display".

"I knew it!" Yuffie cried.

No one else heard her. Scarlet pulled Sephiroth closer and stared daggers into him. Her balance was beginning to give way.

"You," Scarlet growled. "You know what's gonna happen to you? I'm gonna march you straight to the zoo and feed you to the yak!"

Scarlet held up her glass of Bourbon, which only had a mouthful left. Her hand still had a grip on his collar.

"Just as soon as I finish this damn drink..."

Scarlet let her head fall back as she drank the last of the Bourbon. She sluggishly both hands drop to her side, dropping the glass onto the floor. She swayed from side to side, barely able to keep her eyes open anymore. Though drunk himself, Cloud deciphered what was happening and did something about it... in a drunken manner.

"Tiiiiiimber!" Cloud shouted.

The people took heed, and the nearest backed away until there was an "isle" in front and behind Scarlet. For a few seconds, they onlookers watched in suspense. In a climatic moment, Scarlet closed her eyes and fell to the floor with a thud.

"Clean up on isle 3!" Cloud announced.

Cloud stepped over her and walked away, with Sephiroth following.

"What are you doing?" Sephiroth asked.

"Getting another vodka!"

"Oh no, you won't!" Tifa shouted over the crowd.

Yuffie decided to back away for a minute.

----------

"Okay!" Yuffie said forcefully. "I want answers. First, why is that 'girl' Cloud? Because logically, that doesn't make any sense. And yet, logically, it does!"

The Madame delicately drank her sake. Sephiroth looked toward the ceiling, whistling. Tifa tapped her ring finger on the table.

"Second," Yuffie continued. "If it is true, then how the heck did he do it? Is he some freaking alien or something?"

"It's simple quantum theory," the Madame answered. "Technically, it's real, and technically it's not. He's still a man, but he appears to be and sounds like a woman. He's still himself…but he's made himself not look like himself. That form is different from what he really is… He is no longer in his real form, but he has not changed his gender either. You could say that he is currently… between his real form."

"Uhhh..."

Sephiroth waved it off and turned to the Madame.

"I told you she wouldn't understand," Sephiroth said.

"I don't understand either," Tifa interrupted.

----------

Five men, college age, came in with boxes over their shoulders. They set the boxes down took out equipment, and quickly set up a karaoke machine.

----------

"Let me get this straight," Yuffie said. "Cloud is some bio-engineered experiment."

All three nodded in unison.

"And the shape-shifting is some sort of super power."

All three nodded in unison, again. Yuffie pointed toward Sephiroth.

"And you're the same?" Yuffie asked, making sure.

"I sure am," Sephiroth replied.

Yuffie nodded stoically, sucking in all of the info. Then she smiled and leaned back in her chair.

"Okay," she said cheerfully. "I can deal with this."

Tifa and Sephiroth nearly fell out of their chairs.

"How can you accept it just like that?!" Tifa shouted.

"Why can't I?" Yuffie asked.

"Yes, why not?" Madame Luciano asked. "Haven't you heard of free will?"

_"I need to hang around saner people," Tifa thought. _

The karaoke machine was up and running. A woman was currently singing _"Make Me Wonder" _to an eager audience. Yuffie, being the girl that she was, forgot about the conversation and listened, unable to see through the crowd.

_Give me something to believe in  
cause I don't believe in you anymore,  
anymore.  
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try  
so this is goodbye._

_And it's over, hurt the feeling  
but I don't believe it's true anymore  
anymore.  
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry,  
so this is goodbye_

_Got them resting in my head  
decisions that made my bed.  
Now I must lay in it  
and deal with things I left unsaid. _

"Whoever that is," Yuffie commented. "They should go on American Idol. They'll win hands down."

Tifa shook her head and decided to listen as well.

_Give me something to believe in,  
Cause I don't believe in you anymore  
anymore.  
I wonder if it even makes a difference,  
it even makes a difference to try _

"Let's talk later," Yuffie suggested. "I wanna see who it is."

Tifa groaned and followed her friend. The crowd had become grumpy, so it was even more troublesome to get through. Yuffie made it to the front first and opened her mouth in joyful surprise.

"It's him," Yuffie said.

"Who?" Tifa asked.

Tifa got to the front and was more shocked than joyful. At the karaoke machine was Cloud Strife himself...err, herself for now.

_You caught me in a lie.  
I have no alibi.  
The word is set on how to mean me,  
Cause…_

_I still don't have the reason  
and you don't have the time  
and it really makes me wonder  
if I ever gave a #$#$ about you.  
and I... And so this is goodbye. _

"Wow!" Yuffie cried.

_Give me something to believe in  
cause I don't believe in you anymore,  
anymore._

_I wonder if it even makes a difference,  
it even makes a difference to try.  
And it's over, hurt the feeling,  
but I don't believe it's true anymore,  
anymore_

_I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry.  
So this is goodbye.  
So this is goodbye, yeah.  
So this is goodbye, yeah._

_So this is goodbye, yeah._

"I really hope this is a bad dream," Tifa said.

Sephiroth popped up beside them and looked on.

"I know that voice was familiar!" he said. "Now I know for sure that he's drunk!"

Tifa decided to go to room and go to bed, before she could lose her sanity.

----------

"So he's still alive," Shinra mumbled.

Rude poured him another cup of coffee. Shinra blew on it and took a sip.

"I'm actually relieved," Shinra continued. "So...Scarlet was able to catch wise. I hoped so. Now, the Board of Directors can't pin his survival on me."

Rude listened stoically.

"Get some rest," Shinra commanded. "I'll be fine."

"Yes, sir."

As soon as Rude left, he took a breather and leaned back onto the hotel couch.

"I'll pay the boy a visit tomorrow."

* * *

No comment. 


	15. The Morning After

This chapter was originally going to be longer, but I wrote an argument that was rather long and complicated...I'll post it in the other chapter tomorrow after I'm done typing it. I wrote the argument while I was mad at the world, for no apparent reason, and it turned out swimmingly...

* * *

It was 6:30 in the morning. Everyone at the party had left two hours ago, Scarlet was snoring away on her guest bed, and Cloud was now wide awake, energetic, and sober. 

A nice, hot bath in the bathing rooms was well in order too, and heeded it with no complaint. He could get away from anything by taking a bath, including being attacked by women who wanted to dress him or tormented Sephiroth's ridiculous antics. However, there was one thing he could not escape, and it came at him full blast.

**_"Hello…I've been looking all over the map for you. Of course, you probably already knew that. I think it's time we settled old scores." _**

**_The man's voice was familiar, even in Chinese, but he didn't care. Instead of fully acknowledging him, he kept his head low, hidden underneath hair. He sat on the bench of the seaside park and listened to the wind _**

**_"I wouldn't try to run," Tseng continued in his language. "I'm not the only one here." _**

**_"So… you're too much of a coward to face me alone?" _**

**_Tseng growled in anger but calmed himself down. "No…I'm just cautious. I don't underestimate you." _**

**_"Flattered." _**

**_He stood up and casually walked towards Tseng with his hands in his uniform jacket. _**

**_"Why do you choose that form while staying in this city," Tseng asked, with half-hearted curiosity. "We know what you look like in both of those forms." _**

**_"Like I'd tell you," he answered curtly. _**

**_"Of course." _**

**_Tseng was ignored again, being passed off for the ocean on San Francisco's border. _**

**_"So, shall we finish our differences?" Tseng asked. _**

**_"Momomi works for you, doesn't she?" _**

**_"So what if she does?" _**

**_The "girl" chuckled and completely faced the ocean. The chuckle erupted into highly amused laughter. Tseng stared at him curiously. _**

**_"What's so funny?" Tseng asked. _**

**_"You," he answered. _**

**_Tseng frowned in disapproval. _**

**_"I hate to burst your bubble," he continued, "but Momo only works for you now…so she can see me…" _**

**_Tseng gnashed his teeth and balled his hands into fists. _**

**_"Oops! Did I hit a soar spot? Well…since I don't plan on apologizing, I guess it really doesn't matter." _**

**_He turned, suddenly, and appeared to be leaving. In a rushed fury, Tseng grabbed the gun and began to slide it out of his pocket, only to end up dangerous side of his enemy's gun. _**

**_"I could kill you right now," he whispered. "Right now! I wouldn't feel any pain or guilt from it either. Nothing at all! I always knew you were a swine, but I also know you're a dirty swine at that!" _**

**_A sadistic smile appeared on his face, and Tseng backed away, scowling in contempt. _**

**_"And you know what?" he continued. "I'd rather enjoy watching you die!" _**

**_He laughed again and turned to leave again. Even angrier than before, Tseng pulled out the gun and shot. He dodged the bullets and dove into the nearby trees, while Tseng yelled furiously. _**

**_"Nicoli!" Tseng shouted. "Nicoli!" _**

**_The laughter continued. In the thick trees, he heard something rustling. Almost like lightening, another man jumped down from a tree, only to be shot instantly by his own target. _**

The memory ended, and Cloud dunked his head under the water in frustration.

_"Why couldn't it have been a quieter memory?" _

A knock came at the door, which Cloud couldn't answer underwater.

No answer.

Tifa opened the door, slightly ajar, and peered in. No one appeared to be there, but the bath tub was full. Tifa sighed in relief and began to look around.

"Now where did I leave that hair pin last night? I know I was in this room…I gotta find it quick before this person comes to take their bath."

Tifa had her back turned as she searched on the counters. Cloud finally emerged silently from underneath the water and saw her. Maybe it did pay to be able to hold your head underwater for long periods of time…for a laugh, that is.

"Where is that freaking hair pin?" Tifa mumbled to herself.

Cloud saw the hair pin laying on the edge of the dark brown sink.

"It's over there on the sink."

Tifa looked over and finally noticed her hair pin.

"Oh thanks…"

Realization came to her, and Tifa turned her eyes toward Cloud, who was waving her good morning. Waving her good morning, with his face dripping wet…with no clothes on… body hidden in the tub. Tifa smacked her head and stomped toward the sink to get her hair pin.

"I should've known _you'd_ be here!" Tifa snarled. "Why were you underwater?"

"Why did you come here?" Cloud asked, with a perverse smile on his face.

"If you're thinking what I think you're thinking," Tifa replied, "Then don't flatter yourself!"

Tifa went to the door.

"Before you leave, would you mind handing me that towel on the counter? I was just about to go myself."

"Oh, get it yourself!"

Cloud twirled a finger, signaling Tifa to turn around, and did that just that. Tifa squealed and turned around, just in time, blushing a deep crimson hue.

"Do you have _any _modesty whatsoever?!" Tifa shouted.

"What's that?" Cloud teased, while drying off.

"Pervert!" Tifa yelled.

"Right back at ya."

Forgetting the situation, Tifa whirled around.

"Why you…!"

Tifa covered her mouth in embarrassment and turned around, her eyes already "poisoned".

"Ah, crap!" Tifa shouted, as she opened the door. "I'm leaving!"

"Where's my good morning kiss, fiancée?" Cloud teased.

Tifa screamed and slammed the door behind her.

----------

"What's with that face?" Lucy asked.

Tifa grumbled some incoherent curses and ate her breakfast. Lucy rested her chin on her head, leaning her elbow on the counter. She stared at Tifa's expression for a moment, grinned and took another bite.

"Dumb blonde," Tifa muttered.

"From that embarrassed, angry, 'blushing beauty' look on you face," Lucy interpreted, "You look as if you saw a naked guy or something."

The "knife" stabbed into Tifa's emotional psyche.

"From the 'dumb blonde' comment," Lucy continued, "That guy was probably Cloud."

Another knife stabbed.

"From the angry look…this was probably not the first time. With a combination of all of the emotions on your face, you're afraid that deep down, it turns you on. Furthermore, the occasional, sheepish smile on your face…"

"Cut it out!" Tifa cried.

"Sorry," Lucy replied. "I kinda got carried away."

"How the heck did you do that?" Tifa questioned.

"It's a personal gift."

Lucy drank her coffee and nodded.

"It's a habit that all of us have," Lucy explained. "That's kinda why he doesn't mind."

"Huh?"

"The scientists had to give us 'check-ups' every month, to watch for flaws or check for minor injuries and what-not. Most of the time, when they're doing their tests, you have x-nay on the clothes-ay."

Tifa rolled her eyes and continued to eat.

"Don't tell me **that's** his excuse."

"Actually there's more… our servants and parents had to examine us everyday too…"

Tifa nearly choked on her food. She swallowed carefully and lost her appetite.

"They had to what?!"

"It was a daily procedure…the morning 'feel-you-uppers'…that's what we called them. Every morning, they had to check for anything 'unusual'… like bones out of place… weird discolorations…suddenly appearing moles…and all the like…people 'see' you everyday if you someone like us. No privacy in the morning…at least until you turned fifteen… then you'd do it yourself."

"I wouldn't want my parents to feel me up everyday!" Tifa replied. "That's awful. And this happened everyday?!"

Lucy tapped her finger on the counter.

"Well…there was one day that Cloud didn't…it was at Christmastime when he snuck green glitter glue and red dye into Scarlet's bath cosmetics. She chased him from east to west all morning…Aunt Lizzy and Uncle John never got the chance to…"

"And so he doesn't mind because?"

"He doesn't mind because he feels comfortable around you…think of it as being in his confidence."

Tifa narrowed her eyes.

"I'm not sure if that's really sweet or really weird."

----------

The grounds on the Madame's estate were good for walking. Elena's dog, Tintin, was a rather energetic white terrier. Marlene hung onto the leash fast and kept up vigorously.

"How can a little dog be so strong?" Marlene whined.

"Wrap the handle around your wrist," Cloud instructed. "Then grab the leash with your hand.

As Marlene did as she was told, a cell phone went off. Cloud took it out and saw the caller: Aeris.

"Uh-oh…"

Reluctantly, he answered it and put the phone to his ear.

"Um, hello…"

"Oh don't you hello me," Aeris said. "Where the hell have you been? When is this 'business trip' going to end?!"

"In a few days," Cloud answered. "I'll be back by next week…I promise."

Aeris sighed heavily over the phone.

"Well," she replied. "Don't let this happen again…we need you here."

"I'll be there as soon as I can…sorry about this."

"Okaaaaay…bye…"

Aeris hung up and the air became breathable again.

"Is Aeris mad?" Marlene asked.

"Very mad," Cloud answered. "And bless her heart, she holds it in so well."

The dog barked enthusiastically and jerked forward, giving Marlene a start.

"Why isn't Elena walking her own dog?" Marlene asked.

"Because she's recovering from last night," Cloud responded. "Why else?"

"How come you're not recovering from last?"

"Because I'm a morning person… and I actually did try to go back to sleep."

Marlene looked up at her brother and asked why he could not.

"I had a song stuck in my head for some reason."

"Which one?" Marlene asked.

"_Makes Me Wonder _by Maroon 5," Cloud answered.

Marlene hummed in understanding and smelled the air, beyond the trees that they were passing by. The water was nearby. So was a path to the water.

"Can we walk by the ocean?" Marlene asked, pointing to the path.

"Sure."

They caught the path and the ocean smell became stronger. After a moment, Marlene began to hum to the tune of _Makes Me Wonder_, and the hum became infectious. Then, she burst into full song, which also became infectious.

_Give me something to believe in  
cause I don't believe in you anymore,  
anymore.  
I wonder if it even makes a difference to try  
so this is goodbye. _

_And it's over, hurt the feeling  
but I don't believe it's true anymore  
anymore.  
I wonder if it even makes a difference to cry,  
so this is goodbye _

"You know," Cloud interrupted, "I don't even like this song."

"Why not?" Marlene asked. "Everybody loves this song. It's so addictive. And the lead guy who sings it is soooo HOT!"

"I'm a guy," Cloud answered. "I wouldn't care about things like that. Why on earth would you think I would?"

"Sometimes I think you're gay," Marlene answered. "Sorry…but you sometimes come off that way."

The trees ended and the ocean lay ahead, bordered by a stone rail.

"I'm going to pretend that you never said that," Cloud replied.

Out of the corner of his eye, Cloud noticed two people coming towards him. He turned his head and saw Mr. Shinra and Rude walking their way, professional. Marlene gave an intimidated squeal and backed up behind the Cloud, lightly yanking the dog back. She saw the stunned, surprised look on his face and wonder why.

They stopped and saluted them out of respect.

"Good morning, Mr. Strife. You must be surprised to see me."

"I dare say I am," Cloud replied. "If you were still alive, then why did you send me letter telling me otherwise?"

"I needed to buy some time…may we have a private talk?"

Marlene cringed and grabbed Cloud's arm for comfort.

"Marlene…why don't you walk the dog with Rude for a while?"

Marlene pouted and whimpered in fright before doing as she was told.

* * *

I have an author's confession to make: I barely now what I'm doing... 


	16. Conforto Della Luce

Author's Note/Rant: This story is probably the most complicated story I've ever written. I would like to take this moment, since I have your attention, to point out that this is part of an ongoing series. This is the **3rd** installment to the KTS series. If any of this story confuses you, please go to my profile, browse over _Killing Them Softly _and _Killing Them Softly: Blue Lotus' Rhapsody_, in that order, and then come back to this chapter. However, I must warn you in advance: that might not help much either...

* * *

"So, the Board of Directors tried to kill me again," Cloud declared. "And they used your name to do it."

Shinra nodded gravely. "I'm…sorry. Being president doesn't mean that you have the whole company under your thumb. In fact, I feel that they're all against me. If they found out that I personally intervened, I could be jailed…or worse."

"But you didn't come to tell me about your company woes did you?"

"My concern is my daughter, Mr. Strife."

The high tide was coming in and no mistake. Cloud sighed and listened.

"You and I both know the dealings and business the Madame overseas. And I know that they have probably given you the antidote by now."

"How do you know about the antidote?" Cloud asked.

Shinra paused and continued on like he had not heard.

"I spoke with Tifa last night, in secret," Shinra went on. "It seems that the two of you have gotten close…too close. If you have been introduced to the antidote, only God knows what you're going through right now…"

"Go ahead and say it," Cloud interrupted.

Shinra stopped and stared at Cloud sternly before getting to the point.

"To be quite frank, Mr. Strife, I don't want my daughter to be anywhere near you."

"I sure hope she agrees with you then," Cloud replied.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Shinra asked curtly.

Cloud shrugged and faced the ocean.

"There's a possibility that she will go back with you, but there is also a possibility that she might stay with me."

Shinra sneered and shook his head.

"She'd stay with you? How arrogant."

"No," Cloud answered. "I'm actually being considerate. Unlike you."

Shinra scowled and bit his lip.

"What makes you think that she might stay with the likes of you?"

"Frankly, that's none of your business."

"So you intend on keeping her?" Shinra replied bitterly.

"How do you know about the antidote?" Cloud asked. "I'm rather curious."

Mr. Shinra scoffed and let his hand clench the stone. He squeezed it in frustration and tried to calm himself by looking at the sea. Little did he know that Cloud was doing the exact same thing.

"You were the one who gave me that poison, weren't you, Mr. Shinra ?"

Shinra gaped and could not look Cloud in the face.

"And you gave it Marlene, just in case, didn't you?"

"I…"

Shinra heard cracking stone. He looked down and saw the rail cracking underneath Cloud's hands.

"And I'll bet that it wasn't for our well being either, was it?"

"Cloud…"

"Why?" Cloud asked quietly. "Why did you do it?"

Shinra said nothing.

"Wait...let me rephrase that. Why did you let the B.O.D. do it?"

"I..."

"I?" Cloud asked sarcastically. "I? What 'I'? There's never been an 'I', Mr. Shinra. It's always been a 'them'."

"You know how the system works," Shinra defended. "I can't just override their authority as a whole. And what does that have to do with my daughter?"

Cloud laughed in contempt.

"Do you even want to know why it has to do with her?"

"Are you making fun of me?" Shinra asked.

"They ordered you to take her back, didn't they? And they convinced you that it's for "her"own good..."

"Ha!" Shinra scoffed. "What makes you so sure?"

Cloud finally turned to him and smiled. But the smile was no longer the silly grin that it usually was.

"It's how I knew you were taking me away that day, during my stay in Okinawa. I just know."

Finally discouraged, Shinra had a mind to leave.

"Now, I want to know why the B.O.D. wants Miss Lockhart away from me so badly. Are they reluctant to lose one of their valuable assassins (not likely)? Or is their trust in her so thin that they fear she will betray the company's secrets?"

"Foolish, headstrong boy!"

Cloud stopped smiling.

"You think it's fun, don't you?" Shinra questioned. "You think this is all just a big game of monopoly! You're just like the Madame...just like all the rest of those people in that estate...just like your father...espionage and crime is no game."

"On the contrary, Mr. Shinra," Cloud answered calmly. "It is a game. A game of chess, to be more precise. Everyone in it is a piece"

"Nonsense," Shinra breathed out.

"It's a sick, twisted game, but a game none of the less. It's a constant and organized dog-eat-dog fight. Kill or be killed. Eat or be eaten. There's always a plot always a strategy. Even agreements made in a meeting room can be broken down in the blink of an eye. In the long run, they could become absolutely insignificant. You get the idea."

"Nonsense!"

"It all happens on a vast 'chess board'," Cloud continued. "Organizations mean nothing there either. The chess board is splattered with the blood and gore of the pawns that don't make it. Pawns die everyday. Unlike normal chess, pawns are always being replaced. Right up to the jolly king himself. It's a faithful cycle."

Shinra hissed in disgust and turned away.

"The board has more than two players, also unlike normal chess. Some pawns collaborate, so their pawns do the same. Most players fight too the bitter end, and so do their pawns. And sometimes, just sometimes, players will do both. Even more interesting, pawns can be controlled by more than one player. Whether that's a good thing or not, it depends on who the players are. In fact, pawns occasionally abandon their original players to go to another. Sounds like a complicated mess, eh?"

"Nonsense!"

"Who are the **real** players in this game, might you ask?" Cloud continued, with rising tension. "Motives. Love and hate. Generosity and Greed. Loyalty and Betrayal. Good and evil. Sensitivity and insensitivity. The list goes on. And do you know the worst part about the game? It never ends. The fighting never stops. It'll go on and on...and on and on, right up until the bloody end of the world."

"You think you know it all," Shinra muttered under his breathe.

"Of course not," Cloud answered mockingly. "I'm just a pawn myself. A knight to be more metaphorical. Isn't that right, king?"

The elderly man growled in rage.

"That would make the Board of Directors your queen. Not as important as you, of course, but they still wields more than you as a whole. Speaking of which, you never answered my question. Why do they want Miss Lockhart away from me so badly?"

The tables had turned. Shinra felt as if he was being made a fool of. He simply stared back at the young man in front of him, gnashing his teeth, holding back his rage for as long as he could.

"You won't answer?" Cloud inquired. "Then at least answer this question: why did you poison me?"

No answer.

"Did I do something to earn it?"

No answer.

"Did I piss someone off?"

No answer.

"Or is there something you want to hide?"

No answer.

"Dammit...tell me..."

"I don't have to answer to anyone," Shinra replied. "Least of all to you."

Cloud stepped closer. Shinra began to feel a distinct aura of intimidation.

"Protecting the company?" Cloud asked

"Maybe I was protecting you from yourself," Shinra answered.

"There you go again! Pretending it's for the good of others...when in reality, it's for the good of _your _people! Fighting the good fight, eh?"

They stared each other hard in the eye. Their opinions clashed violently, fuming hostility in the air. It was mentally suffocating.

The tension suddenly broke when Cloud an excruciating pain in his head. It started out like a normal headache, escalating into the sensation of a pounding hammer. He broke eye contact with Mr. Shinra and almost stumbling a few yards away, towards the rail, growling in pain. Shinra stared at the ground in guilt.

----------

Madame Luciano looked up as breeze grew stronger. Her eyes widened for a moment, but then, she smiled mischievously and let the wind blow against her standing form.

----------

"It's called a 'memory rush'," Shinra finally said. "It happens whenever you let yourself feel extreme, negative emotions, while thinking too hard. For example, anger."

Cloud held his held and barely listened.

"Try not to look for answers too quickly. You'll be better off."

Shinra cautiously put a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. The pain was subsiding.

"I'll tell you the truth about one thing, though. I know what the B.O.D. as a whole think about this mess that we're in. But please...despite what they think...despite what they want...I am your friend. For Jonathan's sake, I want..."

Shinra was given a hard push. He fell to the ground, startled but not hurt.

"The truth?" Cloud repeated sarcastically. "Friend? For Jonathan's sake?"

Shinra sat up and rubbed his back, groaning.

"The Board of Directors did have something to hide, didn't they?"

SHinra was a man who knew when not to answer a question.

"They tried...to keep it from my father...yes, I remember now. When my father figured it out...they..."

Shinra slowly stood up, backing away.

"When I found out what my father knew," Cloud said, "Why didn't you just get rid of me too? Was it enough to silence me with the poison? Did my parents weigh on your conscience?"

The elderly man stood a good distance away, in case he had to run. Cloud let out a heavy sigh and walked away.

"Don't answer...I don't wanna know. If Tifa wants to go back, I won't stop her. If not, tough. I ask for one thing, though. If the favor of the B.O.D. is so damn important to you, forget about promises. Until you make up your mind, get the bloody hell out of my face and leave me out of it!"

Mr. Shinra watched him leave, without any parting words.

"Espionage and crime are like a game of chess," Shinra whispered. "I never thought of it that way. Genius."

----------

"Cloud's been acting kinda weird all day," Shera declared, while looking out the window.

Tifa raised an eyebrow and put her hands on her hips.

"I mean more than usual," Shera affirmed. "He's barely said a word since this morning, and he keeps to himself. They've been going at it for hours out there. Kinda one-sided though."

Shera scooted over and let Tifa peek through the window. Outside, the object of their concerns sat on the high wooden floor of the back porch. The Madame sat beside him, speaking calmly and gently. Tifa felt someone push on her.

"Is he talking yet?" Lucy asked, with anticipation.

"Gimme some room!" Elena whined. "I wanna see."

The women watched, waited, stood still with anticipation. Then, Cloud turned to the Madame and finally spoke back. The women gasped, except for one, which the storyteller will not mention. They leaned closer to the window. The Madame listened, bit her lip, and began to fiddle with her platinum hair. An old angry habit.

"Any ideas?" Shera asked.

"Nope," Elena answered.

"Uh-uh," Lucy replied.

"Beats me," Tifa responded.

Cloud stopped speaking, and the Madame continued to fiddle with her hair. She said a few more words, forced out a smile, and rose up to go back inside. The four females heard the sound of the sliding silkscreen door and fled the window, pretending that they never saw a thing.

"Lucy," the Madame said, in a matronly manner. "Get some pain reliever. He's having memory rushes."

Lucy squealed and ran down the hall toward her lab.

"Elena, call _my _B.O.D. for an emergency meeting."

Elena whinced in annoyance and went to find the nearest phone.

"And Shera..."

"Yes?" Shera responded.

"Get me a bottle of hot sake."

Shera shrugged and obeyed. Tifa began to walk away.

"And Tifa..."

_"Who me?" Tifa thought. _

"Yes?"

Madame Luciano reached over and patted Tifa on the shoulder.

"Please talk to him..."

The Madame walked off, leaving Tifa in a stupor.

"Oieeeee," Tifa groaned.

She turned, walked toward the silkscreen, clapped her hands together once, and silently opened it.

"Uh, Cloud-sensei?"

"Yeah?"

No enthusiastic greeting. No weird antics. No sill grin.

Yup...he was acting strange...according to his standards...

"That spot beside you taken?" Tifa asked.

"Nah."

----------

"Sake?" Elena offered.

The Madame mewed in approval and took it, while watching out the window.

"Mind telling me about this emergency meeting?" Elena begged.

"Not now!" the Madame replied harshly. "I have more important matters at the moment."

Elena leaned forward and saw the happy "couple" sitting together.

"You really want Cloud to get married, don't you?" Elena asked.

"I really want great-grandchildren," the Madame answered.

----------

Was it a good idea to ask him what was wrong? Tifa considered asking after a while. Then again, what if it was a touchy subject? What if she accidentally poured salt on a cut? Why the heck did she even care?

Tifa shook her head. No, asking was probably a bad idea. But how could she really now? Depite his constant, care-free attitude towards life, Cloud was still very unreadable. Very, very unreadable.

She took a deep breathe and decided to become random.

"This is a beautiful place your grandmother has," she began. "Trees for privacy, lots of land, and a killer view of the ocean."

"Hmmmm."

"I always wanted to live by the ocean as a kid. I couldn't though...Shinra preferred the city, though. I only got to see it when I went to high school in San Francisco."

"Hmmmm."

"That's were Yuffie and I met, while she was in middle school. We used to go into the Pier by the ocean on Fridays. We also went with this girl. Her name was Valentine McPherson. She was kinda weird, like you."

"Hmmmm."

Tifa felt a vein pop in her neck. She maintained control and continued speed talking.

"I think Val liked the sea more than I did," Tifa said. "She was always staring at it...like her eyes were glued to it or something. She said it reminded her of something important."

"Hmmmm..."

Tifa slumped her head and sighed.

"I give up," she wailed.

"On what?" Cloud asked.

"You're such a broken record."

"But I liked listening to you. Go on...something important..."

Tifa blew on her bangs. She raised her hand and let it drop listlessly.

"I rarely understood a word she said. But she was pretty popular in school. A tomboy. All the guys liked her, but she cringed at their attention. And smart too. She was younger than me, and yet she was in my senior class. I think she was 16. I was 17."

"Impressive."

At least it wasn't a "hmmmm".

"I remember one time when a boy went and kissed her on the lips. She got really mad, grabbed his head, and gave him a killer head-butt."

Tifa received a snicker.

"The guy was the school playboy," Tifa continued, with disgust. "In fact, he once dated three girls at the same time. Without them knowing."

"Disgraceful!" Cloud replied, with amusement.

"But Valentine was the only girl who wasn't fooled at the start. She was wealthy, as the rumors told, pretty, intelligent, and had the common sense of a general. She still kinda weird though."

"Like me," Cloud added.

"Yeah...she also went onto these rants whenever some girl talked about him like he was God's gift to all women. She was really scary when she was mad. And she made up this nickname for him..."

"Lord Licentious," Cloud mumbled incoherently.

"What did you say?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing."

Tifa glanced suspiciously and pressed her lips together, shaking it off.

"I remember one of her rants very clearly too..."

Tifa cleared her throat and adopted the tone of a leader addressing their team.

"Girls! What is wrong with you? Have you lost your minds! Can't you see that he's leading you on?"

Tifa saw a smile appear on his face, which encouraged her.

"Lance Peterson is a schmuck! He thinks that all of you are little playthings that he gets to toy around with and then throw away when he's sick of you! Open your eyes, dammit! He's a womanizer. A playboy! A pervert! A monster!"

"What would you say if I were a monster?" Cloud asked suddenly.

"You mean a despicable man whore?" Tifa replied.

"No...I mean a 'monster' monster."

Tifa gave him a funny look.

"What the heck brought that up?" Tifa asked. "I thought we were talking about high school."

"I know."

Tifa let her eyes drop and rise over and over again.

"If that were true," Tifa replied, "I'd say that you were a good monster."

Cloud nodded, smiled, while thinking, and took a deep breathe.

"I hate it when you're like this," Tifa finally admitted. "You really made the place kinda gray today."

"Well excuse me if I'm so influential," Cloud replied freshly.

Tifa rolled her eyes.

"Tell me more about Valentine," Cloud demanded. "I'd like to here more about my 'long lost sister'."

"She wasn't _that _weird," Tifa replied.

"That's because there's only one 'me'."

Oh yes...Cloud was officially back to normal.

----------

"I don't get it!" Elena whined enviously. "It didn't take long either. How did Tifa get him to cheer up so fast?! Why?!"

Madame Luciano left the window and walked away, satisfied.

"Conforto della luce," she whispered.

Elena was too busy watching to hear.

* * *

Again...no comment. 


	17. No Need For Another Mystery

Note to Toons:

Just one chapter after the next one, and I'll make good on my promise...

* * *

Whisked away by an important phone call, at approximately 1:30 in the morning, Lucy growled, deprived of her "beauty" sleep. Lucy parked her car along the sidewalk, underneath the towering building that housed the Blue Lotus. She stepped out of the car and draped her lab coat on her arm. 

"Whoever this joker is," Lucy said to herself, "They'd better have a fresh cup of coffee waiting for me."

With the click of her stilettos, she marched through the doors and greeted the receptionist. Across from the desk, a young girl waited in a seat, looking down at the carpet and clicking her heels. She looked up and recognized her superior. The girl stood up nervously and approached Lucy at the desk.

"Dr. Skandon?"

Lucy turned around and examined the girl. She was a mousy thing, with brown hair, brown eyes, and a childish face that made her look like a middle school student. She had her hands clasped together, fingers moving almost spastically.

"Were you the one who called me?" Lucy asked.

"Y-yes, m'am. I'm Jessie Lee."

Lucy offered her hand, and Jessie shook it reluctantly.

----------

"I've been doing some research of my own," Jessie said proudly, with her hands in her lab coat pockets. "I was so fascinated by the anomalies we've found, but I got kinda frustrated that we couldn't figure out anything. So...I started thinking outside the box."

Jessie opened the door to a microscope room and let Lucy in first. She shut the door behind her and pulled a hair band from her pocket.

"So what did you find outside of it?" Lucy asked jokingly.

Jessie tied up her hair and took out another hair band from her pocket.

"Here."

Lucy tied up her hair, and Jessie prepared the microscope. Next to the microscope was a small, metal case. Jessie opened it and pulled out plastic bags with locks of hair, dried skin, and other strange items, along with tweezers and small amounts of chemicals.

"What is that?" Lucy asked.

"DNA samples used for creating humanoids," Jessie answered cheerfully. "Some of it's the unadulterated stuff, before being manipulated with the chemicals and what-not. The rest are the 'products'."

The young girl busied herself on the microscope. Lucy took mind of the security camera.

"So what is this 'breakthrough' you were talking about?" Lucy questioned. "What's it about?"

"It's the big one," Jessie replied. "The Ultima 3 project."

Lucy frowned.

"Since we can't find the original samples of the Strife couple, I just kept examining what was produced afterward. I even married it up with Sephiroth's genetics. That's when I found something weird."

"Weird?" Lucy questioned.

"Yeah, two things actually. When I studied them closely together, there was a huge difference. Sure, Sephiroth's genetics aren't normal, according to BECS standards, but something didn't match up. It seemed there was something about Cloud's genetics that seemed...heavier...or at least more compact."

Jessie placed some samples onto a slide and picked out dropper. She picked out a dark, vinegar-ish substance and squeezed the dropper in it. Carefully, she applied it to the sample on the slide and put it under the lens. She looked through and adjusted the lens until it was perfect.

"This one's Sephiroth's."

Jessie stepped back to let Lucy take a look. Lucy had already seen it before, and she had already seen Cloud's. As Jessie obliged herself to prepare the second slide and let Lucy observe it, it was all nothing but review.

"You see the difference?" Jessie asked.

"Yes...if you know what you're looking for...odd."

"And the second weird thing," Jessie reminded. "I tried to look up information on Sephiroth, and when I found it, there was no record of his last name."

"None whatsoever?" Lucy asked, in an intimidating matter.

Jessie backed away and timidly affirmed it to be true. Lucy sighed in relief.

"You'd think that if they possessed the same anomalies that they'd be similar," Jessie noted. "As soon as I figured it out, I went deeper and found crazier stuff. How come no one's noticed this before? Is it really that hard? Or was it kept under wraps by the head scientist? They tend to do that when they're afraid to admit that they're wrong about something."

Lucy stayed silent and listened.

"Anyway, I scanned the samples into the computer system, to find anything that might match up, and I found two matches."

Now it was time for Lucy to do a double take.

"M-matches?!"

Jessie cleaned the slides with the nearby sink and dried them. "Yup...matches...similar cases...even crazier...we've never studied them before. No tests whatsoever. And the similarities have nothing to do with the Blue Lotus either. They were treated like flotsam and jetsam. Ironic, huh?"

So much for being bored.

----------

"For a minor scientist," Lucy said, "You seem to like aiming for the sky."

Jessie climbed up the ladder in the file room and opened a drawer.

"X," she whispered. "X...X...X...There you are, you little trouble maker."

Jessie found the right manila folder and dropped it down for Lucy to catch.

"Not bad for a minor scientist," Jessie said, with a hint of doubt. "Now for Y..."

Another manila folder dropped and Jessie climbed down. Lucy was sitting Indian style, already browsing through the "value-less" paper. She gasped when she recognized the person's name, and bit her lip. Jessie roughly landed on her feet from the third step and stood over watching.

"Something the matter?" Jessie asked.

"Tseng Xen-Yueh," Lucy whispered. "What the hell is this file doing here? It shouldn't be here. Why?"

"Doctor?"

Lucy shook her head and discarded it to the side. She quickly grabbed the second folder and hastily opened it, expecting another surprise. She was not disappointed.

_"Momomi Yukihime?! This is nuts! Her too?" _

"And the results on the computer?" Lucy asked calmly.

"They same thing," Jessie replied. "I compared them to Sephiroth's genetics, and I found the same thing. Don't you think it's prodigious? No one's ever noticed this. In fact, I'm the third person who searched them on the computer. According to visitors' tracker on the page, that is. I'll bet the other people who looked at it didn't realize this. But why was this info was put into the computer...only to be ignored? And who put it there?"

Lucy rubbed her head and yawned.

"Let's get some coffee. This is gonna be longer than I thought."

----------

The young scientist sat two mugs of espresso on the break room table. Lucy eyed her curiously, tapping her nails on the table, as she sat down, eyeing freshly printed paper.

"Why is a girl like you working this hard?" Lucy inquired. "Your job description only says that you examine things for the higher-ups. Not solely solve a mystery."

Jessie took a long gulp of the hot coffee. Her tongue felt a light sting and she nearly choked on the beverage. She beat her chest and coughed.

"You okay there?" Lucy asked, half concerned and half laughing.

Jessie suddenly gave Lucy a serious look and slammed the mug onto the table.

"I like to figure out things that other people can't," Jessie said.

Lucy cocked her head in amusement and smiled.

"I've never been the type of girl that people notice. So, if I have to go the extra mile, just for people to look at me, I'll do it. And besides, if I figure out what's going on here, I could get me a promotion!"

"Might as well," Lucy agreed.

Jessie nodded and went back to the papers on the table.

"So this is what we got from the computer?" Lucy asked.

"Uh-huh...but the info was kinda limited...but it had photos of microscopic observations. Whoever put it in the computer obviously wanted to leave as little information as possible...just in case. But it's enough...if you know what to look for."

Jessie pulled up the first photo labeled 'Tseng Xen-Yueh' and placed it in Lucy's view.

"This cell shows some signs of instability," Lucy declared. "Not as much as an average humanoid, but it's very visible. Even the after notes confirm it. And Miss Yukihime?"

Jessie handed her a second photo. Lucy scanned it, then the first photo, and scanned it again. She squinted her eyes and held them further away, and looked at them at the same time. Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped.

"Momomi is more stable than Tseng," Lucy finally realized. Lucy handed the photos over for Jessie to see.

"Wait a sec," Jessie whispered. "If memory serves..."

Jessie stood up and ran out of the break room in a hurry, with the photos in her hand.

"I'll be right back!"

Lucy leaned back and watched the door stop, half open.

_"This girl is too smart for her job," Lucy thought. "I like her." _

Lucy smiled mischievously and pulled out an emergency vial from her pocket. She took of the cork and carefully applied a few drops from the vial into Jessie's coffee. She causally hid it again. Jessie came back, a few minutes later, with an alarmed, yet triumphant look on her face.

"I took a look at Mr. Strife," Jessie said. "He's more stable than Yukihime."

"Figures," Lucy mumbled. "I had a feeling it would be that way."

Lucy took a good look at the information in the manila folders.

"According to the information in the files," Jessie said, "Mr. Xen-Yueh is the eldest of the three. The eldest and the least stable."

"The younger the more stable," Jessie added. "If you ask me, it's like 'trial and error'. You know...as if the scientists couldn't get it quite right the first few times. That is, if they have gotten it right at all."

Lucy began to bite her pinky nail, trying to think.

_"This doesn't make sense," Lucy thought. "All three of them are from completely different organizations. Tseng is from the Triads, my cousin is from the Sicilian Mafia, and Momomi is from the Japanese Mafia. The Triads and the Sicilian Mafia are constantly at odds, and the Japanese Mafia are neutral. So why would it follow a pattern if they were all from different sides?" _

"Forget the Ultima 3 project!" Jessie exclaimed. "I think we've found something even bigger."

"I dare say we have," Lucy replied.

_"And the instability," Lucy continued to think. "Maybe it has to do with the 'trances'." _

Like a little girl with an ice-cream, Jessie neatly organized the papers.

"This really is a breakthrough after all...I can't believe no one has figured this out before..."

"That's because the information just got here," Lucy said.

Jessie hit the stack of papers against the table, to straighten the papers out.

"Those manila folders are fresh...someone put it this information the file room recently."

"That's creepy," Jessie balked.

"I've seen worse."

Lucy got up and brushed the wrinkled out of her skirt. Jessie took another swig of coffee, and Lucy grinned.

"I'll be right back," Lucy said. "I have to get something out of my locker."

Lucy slyly walked out of the break room and speed walked the rest of the way. In the break room, Jessie felt herself become extremely tired. With each passing second, her head became heavier, until she collapsed out of the chair.

----------

**_"Hello? Can you hear me?" _**

**_Slowly, Cloud opened his eyes to a strange world of black. There were no walls, no floor, no ceiling...just a big, black, eerie void. _**

**_"Where am I?" _**

**_Cloud was stunned to realize that woman's voice came out instead of his own. He looked at his hands and saw that they were smaller and more delicate. _**

**_"What the…" _**

**_He touched his hair, but did not feel the spiky hair he was supposed to have. Then, he realized that his night clothes felt too big. _**

**_"Why am I in my 'girl' form…I don't remember falling asleep like this…" _**

**_"Heeeeellllllooooo?" a woman's voice teased. "Can't you hear me? Did you miss me? Don't you recognize me?" _**

**_Cloud looked and turned. He saw no one. _**

**_"I can hear you just fine," Cloud answered. "And I'd recognize you better if I saw you. If I can recognize you, then I might actually now if I missed you or not." _**

**_The voice giggled. Cloud felt someone poke him in the back. _**

**_"I'm right here!" the voice sang. _**

**_Cloud swatted the hand away and turned. A person stepped back and let their hand drop. It was woman, just about his height. She was naked, with the exception of bandages strapped all over her body, loosely falling downward. The majority of her face was covered by the bandages; her left eye remained exposed. If her face wasn't masked, Cloud presumed that she would be smiling. _**

**_"It's been a while, hasn't it?" she asked. "How have you been, Cloud?" _**

**_"Who are you?" Cloud asked. _**

**_The woman sighed and the one eye frowned. "So you don't remember yet." _**

**_Cloud looked away. A strand of bandages floated and caressed his face, much to his surprise. It jerked his head back, forcing him to face the strange entity. _**

**_"Don't look away," she scolded. "Pay attention." _**

**_The stray pieces of bandages were floating around her. _**

**_"This has got to be one twisted dream," Cloud mumbled. _**

**_"This is not a dream!" the woman corrected. "We are in the subconscious part of your mind." _**

**_"So in my subconscious of my mind is a naked girl with bandages?" Cloud asked. _**

**_The woman closed her eyes tightly and whooped. "You're funny! I take many forms." _**

**_Cloud looked away again and a bandage curled itself around his arm. It wrapped tight and put pressure on his arm. It was not enough to hurt, but it was enough to feel uncomfortable. _**

**_"I said not to look away!" she scolded again. "I have something important to tell you!" _**

**_"Then spit it out, then," Cloud replied. _**

**_The bandage clenched tighter around his arm. _**

**_"Remember your little tiff you had with Shinra?" the woman asked. "You're right. He did poison you to shut you up. But it wasn't the only reason." _**

**_Cloud felt some of the circulation in his arm suffer. _**

**_"What are the other reasons?" _**

**_"He wanted to separate us," the woman answered. "When he poisoned you, he sealed me away. When was I was finally able to break free, you started getting your memories back." _**

**_Cloud tried to move his fingers to get more circulation. _**

**_"But didn't come to just tell you that," she said. "I also came to warn you. 'He' is here. And he's looking for me." _**

**_"Who is 'he'?" Cloud asked. He began to pull on the bandage. _**

**_"Tseng," she answered. "He's coming to bother us again. I know he's here. I can feel him. I can feel his rage, his anger, his vengefulness. We'll be seeing him today. I thought you'd like to know that it in advance." _**

**_"I know this is unrelated to the topic," Cloud interrupted, "But could you please make your bandage friend let go of me. I can't feel my arm anymore." _**

**_The bandage released his arm, and he shook it vigorously. _**

**_"Well, I have nothing left to say. Goodbye, Cloud." _**

**_"What?!" _**

Cloud felt someone nudge him awake and into the real world. Over him, Marlene stood over him with a concerned look on her face.

"Cloud?"

Cloud looked up at Marlene and yawned.

"Cloud…you were talking in your sleep."

"I was?" Cloud asked. "I don't usually do that."

"You used to," Marlene replied.

Cloud sat up and rubbed his head. "What a freaky dream."

"You were dreaming?" Marlene asked. "About what?"

"Don't ask."

Cloud threw the sheets off of him and climbed out.

"By the way," Marlene said. "Why did you fall asleep in your girl form?"

Cloud gave her a perplexed look and walked by the mirror. Instead of seeing his normal reflection, a woman stared back.

"That's weird…I didn't fall asleep like this."

He closed his eyes and focused on changing himself back. Nothing happened.

"Why isn't it working?"

Cloud scratched his head. Marlene cocked her head and noticed something on her brother's arm.

"Uh…did you hurt yourself?" Marlene asked.

"No…why?"

"Your arm," Marlene pointed out.

Cloud rose up his arm and pulled the sleeve back. On his arm, to his astonishment, were red marks, as if something had clenched tight around it.

----------

Cid felt something wet and sticky glide across his face. He winced and stirred, before opening his eyes. Underneath the covers, with him, was Elena's dog, Tintin. Tintin happily licked his face, blissfully unaware of Cid's growing anger.

"Ugh!" Cid cried.

The dog kept licking.

"Why are you under the covers with me?!" Cid shouted. "Get off!"

The dog stopped licking him and scurried off of the bed. He sat on the floor and wagged his tail, looking curiously at the man he had angered. Cid wiped some of the dog saliva off of his face. He gave the white terrier a dirty look and snarled.

"Scram!" Cid commanded.

The dog barked cheerfully and ran out of the room, through the slightly ajar door.

(I don't know why I wrote this either)

----------

"You saw a strange woman wearing bandages," the Madame said. "I see."

The Madame bent down and smelled the Jasmine bushes at the front of the house. Cloud stretched out on the front steps, looking up and the early morning sky.

"And when you woke up, you could not change to your real form," the Madame continued.

"I still can't," Cloud responded. "And it's been two hours. It feels as if I'm being disrupted."

The Madame nodded and continued to smell.

"And the red marks on your arm were there too?"

"On the same arm that the bandage grabbed."

"I see."

The Madame stood up and groaned.

"I may not look it," she said, "But I'm old. I know I look I'm 40, but I'm still nearly 80. I know it, but I can't feel it."

The Madame walked over and sat next to him on the steps, fiddling with her hair.

"She also mentioned that Tseng was close."

"She said **we'd **meet him today…that's the way she put it."

"Then take the warning seriously and watch your back," the Madame commanded. "You may not remember him now, but that man is dangerous."

Cloud sat up straight and yawned again.

"And Cloud, dear?"

"Yes, mother dear?"

"Beware of that 'woman'," the Madame warned. "Don't be fooled by her playful behavior. Of all the enemies you will face in your lifetime, she is the most perilous."

----------

The majority of the women staying at the estate sat around in the sitting room, making a long list of shopping items. Shera sat, Indian style, on the couch and wrote down everything.

"I want to get some lenses for my camera," Shera said to herself. She jotted it down.

"I wanna go into the bazaar and get some 'stinky tofu'," Elena declared.

Every woman in the room, except for Tifa, cringed and moaned in disgust.

"That's nasty!" Marlene cried. "You're gross, Elena!"

"Are you nuts?!" Lucy yelled.

"But it's yummy," Elena defended.

Lucy shucked a pillow at Elena. Shera wrote it down none of the less.

"What's stinky tofu?" Tifa asked.

"You'll see when we get it," Marlene muttered in a macabre manner. (Wow, that's a tongue twister)

"Okay," Shera said aloud. "What next."

"I need lingerie," Lucy replied. "Mine are getting worn out."

"Speaking of which," Elena interrupted, "What about your wedding lingerie, Tifa?"

Tifa gave out a low squeal and blushed. "W-what about it?"

"Well you are gonna get it, aren't ya?" Elena asked. "For your **_wedding night_**…"

Tifa's face grew redder. The fun was only beginning.

"Oh…what should we get for you?" Shera pondered, jokingly, already knowing the truth. "Should we get a peek-a-boo negligee?"

Tifa stared daggers at her. Shera laughed her butt off.

"How about something frilly?" Marlene suggested.

_"Et tu, Marlene?" Tifa thought miserably. _

"O…O!" Elena chimed in. "How about a sheer teddy?"

"Why not get some lacy underwear?" Marlene asked.

Elena shook her head. "Nah…too hard to find for Tifa. These days, they use lace with push up bras to accentuate your bust. That's the last thing that Tifa needs."

Lucy changed seats and sat next to Tifa. Almost brazenly, she began to poke at one of Tifa's boobs.

"I know!" Lucy whined. "It's not fair! How come your boobs are bigger than mine?"

Almost on cue, Sephiroth opened the door and crossed through the room, intending on leaving out through the door on the other side.

"Relax, sis," he replied. "Everyone's boobs are bigger than yours."

Lucy scrambled to her feet in an intimidating stance, causing Sephiroth to leave out of the room faster. The other women laughed hysterically.

The door that Sephiroth exited through opened again, and Cloud walked through, hoping that the women wouldn't try to dress him again in the form he was stuck in. All why simultaneously chewing on a freaking big jelly-filled doughnut. And wearing jeans. And wearing a strapless, sleeveless top. Tifa was speechless. The other women though nothing of it.

"What's his hurry?" Cloud asked, with his voice muffled with food.

Lucy growled bitterly and sat back down with a thump.

"What's with the 'femme' get-up?" Elena asked. "Is there some special occasion or something?"

Cloud shook his head and headed out through the other door. "The Madame made me wear it."

Tifa noticed a strange, tattoo of a red and black butterfly on the left corner of his back, which she had never noticed before. As if the other tattoo on his right arm wasn't enough...

At first, he was gone, but then he popped his head back in and smiled at Tifa.

"And by the way," Cloud said in an overly dramatic tone, "I just _adore _lacy underwear."

After he finished saying his words, Cloud took off running down the hall, already aware of the wrath he had incurred upon himself.

* * *

Yes...Cloud does have a tattoo on his right arm. I mentioned it in KTS:BLR.

I just like to remind people...

-LDC


	18. Recalled to Life Pt One

I found out about the bug, so I deleted and resent the chapter just in case...

* * *

The marketplace was as busy as hell. Everything was there: clothes, food, toys, pets, performances, TV sets, raffle stands, arcades...The energy alone was enough to pump you up. And if you were a female shop-a-holic, it was paradise.

"Oh, oh, oh! That one is so cute!" Marlene pointed out a white, dragon embroidered, silk dress on display.

"It's cute," Shera agreed, "but only you can fit it, dear."

Marlene smiled mischievously and replied, "I know! Great, huh?"

All of the women rolled their eyes. All except for Yuffie, who was looking anxiously for a bathroom.

"Can we get the stinky tofu now?" Elena begged. "I want some now…"

Elena received hostile glares and sank her head. "I'll shut up now."

"Can anyone tell me where I can find a bathroom?" Yuffie asked.

Lucy pointed to the far end of the marketplace. "It's just around the corner from there."

Yuffie bowed her head in gratitude and sprinted off to find it. Tifa shook her head and walked deeper into the stand, to look at the dress that Marlene loved. "It's pretty," Tifa said. "You want it?" Marlene nodded in excitement, and Tifa pulled her wallet out of her purse. Lucy leaned over and whispered in Scarlet's ear.

"Wow…Is it just me or is Tifa acting like a big sister?"

"As if the engagement were actually real," Scarlet whispered back. "Don't forget the make-out incident. Maybe they really should get married…"

Tifa heard giggles and saw Scarlet and Lucy talking ear to ear.

"They get alone well," Marlene said quietly. "Weird, huh?"

----------

Jessie Lee stirred awake in a room. Groggy and confused, she sluggishly sat up in bed and rubbed her head. Her eyes refocused and she saw her lab coat sitting on a chair, her shoes underneath it.

"Where am I?"

Jessie noticed a small, folded piece of paper, labeled with her name. She picked it up, unfolded it, and read.

_Whatever you do, do not leave this room until I come back. _

_Dr. Skandon _

----------

Outside, by the sea, the little, white terrier barked, longing for attention. Occasionally, he ran in front of Cloud's feet, stood up on his hind legs, and panted.

"You're awful much for such a tiny dog." The dog stood on all fours and walked attentively at his side again.

"Why the bloody hell couldn't _I_ be born a dog?" Cloud asked. "If not, why not a normal human. Anything but this."

Tintin barked assent, as if he understood every word being said. Cloud approached a bench and sat down. "I wonder how different my life would be if I were just a normal human. How about you?" Tintin growled and barked in disapproval. Cloud smiled in amusement. "You're just content being a dog."

A group of seagulls flew past, squawking and circling around. Cloud wished that he had brought bread with him. The seagulls landed on the ground, and Tintin ran forward, chasing them away like a guard dog. He scurried back to the bench and sat down, watching and waiting for another assault.

"This morning, I had a strange dream…or at least, I thought it was a dream. I walked right through the sitting room, among those women, and pretended that nothing was wrong. I've been doing that a lot lately…pretending…acting as if the world is a bucket of thorn-less roses…I don't usually do that…"

The seagulls returned, and Tintin ran forward again. Finally, Cloud acknowledged the katana, strapped to his side, upon the Madame's orders. "The truth is, I can hide my feelings rather well. Forget dancing. I should have joined the theater."

Instead of coming back to the bench, the white terrier stayed, waiting for more. Cloud leaned back. Out of the blue, he felt a strange, painless, punching sensation in the back of his head. He sat up straight, alert again, and involuntarily began to look around.

**_"He's nearby," a voice whispered. _**

"Oh lovely…now I'm hearing voices. I must be losing my mind."

Suddenly, Tintin sniffed the air and found something. He growled in hostility and barked savagely. Cloud stood up, walked toward the dog, and kneeled down. "What's the matter with you?" Cloud asked.

**_"See!" the voice continued. "Even the dog knows!" _**

The punching sensation came back, stronger this time. Cloud stood up and looked to the south. "Someone's out there?"

With a tenacious gusto, Tintin sank his teeth into the hem of Cloud's jeans and pulled on it, goading him forward.

----------

"Are you sure?!" the Madame asked earnestly. "You have seen him?"

The person on the other end jabbered on at about several dozen words per minute. The Madame gritted her teeth in rage and hung up the phone.

"Dannazione lo!!!"

Sephiroth heard her angry screams from outside and smiled. "About time he showed

up…I've been bored out of my mind."

----------

Two playful hands clamped over Tifa's eyes.

"I hope you washed your hands, Yuffie," Tifa teased.

"Ewww!" Yuffie cried. "Of course I did!"

Yuffie took her friend by the arm and tugged her forward. "I saw something really cool when I came out of the bathroom," she said. "I wanna show you."

The rest of the group was busy looking at purses and bags in the stand. Lucy looked up and noticed.

"We're gonna go see something right quick," Yuffie said, without letting Tifa have a say. "Don't wait up."

Lucy watched them walk away and bit her lip. "Elena," Lucy called out. Elena twirled her head around from a purse and cooed in reply.

"Go follow those two for me, will ya?"

Elena frowned and stuck out her tongue. "You're the one who wants to follow them so badly. You do it!"

"I'll get you stinky tofu," Lucy sang.

Elena smiled and took the bribe without question.

----------

"So…what is this _really cool_ thing that you saw?"

Yuffie hummed mischievously and pretended to think. "Well," she replied slyly, "It was kinda tall…it was bald…it wore sunglasses…and…"

They turned the corner together, and small bungalow waited ahead. Rude stood there, with four guards flanking him.

"Well, whadda ya know…it's Rude!"

Tifa gave her a scolding look. Yuffie grinned innocently. Behind one of the stands, Elena carefully hid herself and watched them walk towards the bungalow.

"Lucy really has a nose for these things."

----------

"Miss Kisigari…and Miss Lockhart! We've heard a great deal about you."

At the end of the bungalow, the Board of Directors of Shinra and Genova Corp. sat at rectangular table. Rude ushered Tifa to a seat, and whispered into Yuffie's ear. "You may leave now…you'll have further instructions outside the door."

Yuffie nodded and went outside. Rude shut the door and stood in front of it.

"Where is she going?" Tifa asked.

"Back to New York City," a familiar voice said. "Where she should be…as should you."

Mr. Shinra sat down and took a deep breathe. Tifa stared at him and sighed with relief.

"I'm glad you're alright," she said with sincerity. "How did you…"

"Emergency trap door under my desk," Shinra replied. "But that's not important."

On his right was a woman, probably in her fifties, neatly stacking papers in her hands. At his left, a younger woman sat, obviously the older woman's daughter. She gave Tifa an uninterested look and scoffed.

"Let's get to business," said the older woman. "I am Gertrude Hopkins, Vice-President. We have met before."

"We have," Tifa replied. "Why am I here?"

"That's rather simple," Hopkins replied. "We want you to come back to head to headquarters at once. For your safety."

"For my safety?" Tifa questioned. "I'm a subordinate assassin. Why would you care about that? And what about my job? Am I allowed to have an explanation?"

Hopkins smiled and browsed over the papers in her hands. "Of course you are…"

She turned towards Shinra and smiled almost malevolently, making him avert his eyes. "After all, you are the President's daughter. We hear that you have been in the Luciano estate for the past few days. Is that right?"

"I have."

"And I presume you have met Jenova," Hopkins said casually.

"Do you mean the Madame?" Tifa asked.

Hopkins chuckled under her breathe. Her daughter smiled, but kept a distant aura.

"Yes…that's one of the names she goes by."

"Names?" Tifa asked.

"We know her as Jenova di Luciano. However, over the years, she's earned other aliases. For example, the Triads know her as Empress Snowblood. The Mafia calls her Lady Carnage, but the Godfather himself affectionately calls her the Queen of Crime. Most of all, she is commonly known as the Mother of the Farfalle Velenose. In turn, the Farfalle Velenose call mother dear or simply the Madame."

**_"Why does everyone call her the Madame, anyhow?" Tifa asked. "It's kinda creepy." _**

**_"On the way," Sephiroth said, "the Madame wants to speak with you." _**

**_"Hey, Tifa," Shera said. "The Madame wants to talk to you… and she wants to discuss the wedding date." _**

**_"The Madame sure can do a lot with little time," Elena said. _**

**_"What's with the 'femme' get-up?" Elena asked. "Is there some special occasion or something?" Cloud shook his head and headed out through the other door. "The Madame made me wear it." _**

Hopkins watched proudly as Tifa's complexion went pale. "She fooled you well, didn't she? Not the type to be involved in crime, eh? I'm not surprised though. People like her tend to be… very good actors."

----------

The far south of the estate was not a place that many people ventured to. It went downward in a flight of stone steps. The wind was hauntingly slow in those parts, so was the ocean. Tintin finally stopped barking and growled perpetually. Whatever (or whoever) was coming, they were very close now. Dog and man sat down to wait.

"Whoever I'm feeling," Cloud said, "They sure picked a hell of a spot to meet me."

Not that it was dark, old, or gothic looking. It was just too darn quiet. The soft, approaching footsteps of boots weren't helping either. The dog resumed barking again.

"Tintin!" Cloud scolded. The dog went silent and growled, facing the apparent visitor. The walking ceased, just a couple of steps behind them.

"There you are," said a familiar voice. "I've been looking everywhere for you."

"You have a lot of guts venturing here," Cloud replied.

"Oh?" the person asked mockingly. "Why's that?"

"The Madame doesn't appreciate intruders,Tseng."

Tseng sat unceremoniously beside him.

"I'm honored that you remember me," Tseng replied.

"Don't flatter yourself…I don't remember everything yet."

"It still didn't affect your sass-mouthed comments," Tseng said, in a serious tone. "You always were a rude one…"

----------

"All of her so-called 'grandchildren'," Hopkins went on, "Are her personal assassins. Each of them have their own abilities, techniques, or style…whatever you want to call it. Even 'meek' Shera Crescent plays her part…or at least, five years ago she did."

**_Shera buried her face into the sheets. _**

**_"This isn't the first time I've seen him in bed like this," Shera whispered. "Last time...it was because he lost a lot of blood...He was stabilized quickly, but it was scary." _**

Tifa sat and listened without saying a word.

"All of them have a history of criminal activity and violence. Sometimes it started as early as age 12. It's already clear that none of them really have any value for human life…much less care for their feelings. Just like a BECS…"

**_"I guess it's too late now," she muttered. "Did you call her mom?" _**

**_Cloud looked down at the floor, sadly. "Yes, I told her everything." _**

**_"And what did she say?" _**

**_Cloud leaned on the wall next to her. _**

**_"What did she say?" Tifa repeated. _**

**_"She said," Cloud replied in astonishment, "She said 'keep her'." _**

**_Tifa was too shocked to be angry. _**

**_"How can a parent do that to their own child?" Cloud asked himself. "You bring them into the world...and then you have the heart of dump them on the streets?!" _**

The elderly woman smiled, believing she had gained a foothold.

"BESC," Hopkins continued. "Bio-engineered combat soldiers…Yes…that's exactly what they are. Just imitations of life…an experiment." Hopkins folded her hands together and frowned. "A mistake…"

Tifa let out a surprised, almost disgusted, barely audible cry.

"It was mistake for us to get involved in such 'manufacturing'," Hopkins continued. "They have become too dangerous. In fact, they also have been too dangerous. It was horrible mistake, and we plan on undoing it. We can no longer turn a blind eye to these disreputable things. So, we have decided to rid the world of them…slowly, but steadily."

_"Now wait just a minute!" Tifa thought. _

"And your point is?" Tifa questioned.

"Your 'client' is dangerous," Hopkins declared. "You must leave as soon as possible."

Tifa looked to Shinra, waiting for him to say something. Instead of saying anything allowed, he clandestinely mouthed, "Don't listen to them…"

Her eyes widened. She quickly made eye-contact with the Vice-President again, not wanting to give her father away. "Forgive me," Tifa replied, "But I see a few holes in your explanation."

"Holes?" Hopkins inquired, feeling that her pride was hurt.

Tifa slid out of her chair and bowed her head respectfully. "Excuse me," she said quietly. "I need a breathe of fresh air."

Tifa quickly headed towards the door. Gertrude Hopkins watched her back venomously and groaned. "Miss Lockhart!" Hopkins called out. Tifa stopped in mid-reach of the door knob. "My 'explanation' may have holes in it as you say, but allow me to tell you something that doesn't. It's about your 'client'."

-----------

Cloud noticed the katana at Tseng's side.

"Have you come to 'settle your differences' with someone?" Cloud asked.

"No…I came to talk to someone."

"I don't believe you." Tseng laughed and patted the sword's sheath. Tintin poked his head and growled.

"Down boy," Cloud muttered.

"GRRRRR!" the dog replied.

Tseng watched the interaction in silence. "Let's stop playing games," Tseng said. "I want to see Nicoli."

Cloud gave him a funny look. Tintin gave out a loud bark, and Cloud patted him on the head. "Down boy!"

"You look at me as if you don't have a clue what I'm talking about," Tseng said.

"That's because I don't have a clue what you're talking about," Cloud replied.

Tseng stared at Cloud in an irritated manner. Cloud glared back in the same manner. They stared each other down until Tseng understood he was being sincere. "I get it now," Tseng finally realized. "You're memories still suck, don't they?" Tseng stood up and walked four steps up, his back turned. He sighed and shook his head.

"Oh well," he said. "It can't be helped. I'll just have to force him out of you."

Tseng quickly put his hand on the hilt of the sword, and Cloud jumped into a defensive standing position. The sword was out like a flash and headed straight for its target. Both dog and man dodged into different directions, just in time to see the sword slice and crack the ground. Tseng quickly recovered, barely giving Cloud enough to uncover his sword and block the berserk fury of his opponent.

"Oh, Nicoli," he called out teasingly. "Are you awake yet?"

_"I knew I shouldn't have forgotten the freakin' gun," Cloud thought angrily. _

Tseng quickly became impatient. "I don't want to fight **_you_**!"

Cloud immediately knew what was coming and dodged away from the tree behind him and the next attack. Instead of simply digging into the tree, the katana sliced right through, toppling the tree to the ground. Dog and man watched in stupefied awe.

"He just cut through that tree, didn't he?" Cloud asked. Tintin barked in assent.

"Okay."

Dog and man dove into the trees by the sea and ran like little bitches.

_"No gun, can't shape-shift, all alone, except for a dog, and a sword-wielding psychopath," Cloud thought. "The universe hates me." _

----------

Elena walked briskly towards the bungalow, with her hands in her jacket. The guards saw her and became extremely alert.

* * *

To be continued... 


	19. Recalled to Life Pt Two

Wanna hear somethin' funny? I cut the last chapter in half because it was too long. Then I had to cut this chapter in half for the same reason...which was really messing with my plans.

Luckily, I took a deep breathe, finished this chapter, cut it in half, and submitted them at the same time...but it's still screwing with my plans.

Ah, whatever.

-LDC

* * *

Gertrude Hopkins stood in front of Tifa by the door, prepared to try and block her from exiting. "There is a term bio-engineering scientists like to call 'the trance'. It's relatively new concept."

A member of the B.O.D. leaned over and whispered to his neighbor.

"We don't know what causes it," Hopkins admitted. "At first, we thought it was some sort of defense mechanism…but now we consider it a disease. Whenever a person with this condition becomes enraged or has their life threatened, they gain so much strength and agility it's mind-boggling. However, it has such an affect on their minds that the most docile of personalities can instantly be warped into violent sociopathy. How long it lasts? It depends. How much damage can it cause? It's devastating."

"And you're saying that Mr. Strife has this 'condition'?" Tifa asked.

"Yes…five years ago, for the sake of his father, Jonathan, we offered him help. He roughly refused, for unknown reasons."

Tifa hummed in consideration. Hopkins smiled and put her hand on Tifa's shoulder. "So you finally understand?" she said gently.

"Oh, I understand exactly what's going on here," Tifa replied forcefully. Hopkins stepped back in surprise.

"Tell me," Tifa said, "If they are an imitation of life, how can they have a disease?"

"What?" The B.O.D. was the edge of there seats.

"You know what?" Tifa asked. "I don't think you even know what this 'condition' is, do you? I don't know if you're just lying to me to get me to obey orders or if you've misinterpreted the whole thing, but your story sounds pretty shady."

Shinra buried his head in hands, half-embarrassed and half-amused.

"And you say that all those people I've been staying with have no care for human life. Well, is that from studying from afar? Or have you actually met and talked to one of them in person? Or do you even give a damn?"

Whispers filled the air. Gertrude Hopkins was beginning to lose her temper.

"I think I know why Cloud refused to accept any of your help," Tifa said calmly. "You don't really care what happens to him. Sure he can be a little conceited, often annoying, and it's almost impossible to know what goes on in that head of his…but he's anything but inhumane. Are you sure you're not describing you and your buddies here?"

"Miss Lockhart!"

"He doesn't need any of your help," Tifa persisted. "In fact, that's the last thing he needs!"

----------

Elena stood in front of the guards, staring curiously at the bungalow. One the guards kept looking at her, trying to figure out who she was.

"What do you want?" asked guard two. "Is there anything we can help you with?"

Elena waved her hand nervously and shook her head. "Oh no…I just thought I saw a friend go in here…"

The one guard gasped and pointed a shaky revolver on Elena.

"What's the matter with you?!" asked the guard beside him.

"Don't you recognize her?!" he shouted. "That's Elena di Luciano!"

All four guards became alarmed and drew out their guns. Elena backed away in confusion. "I'll bet that old hag sent you here!" shouted guard two.

"What?!" Elena shouted. The four tried to close in on her. Elena scowled, pulled out a device, pushed a button, and hurled it at them. "Leave me alone, you creeps!"

The device exploded, blowing the guards in different directions and breaking down the doors. On the other side, Tifa dodged the falling doors. Hopkins was buried underneath. For the first time, Hopkins' daughter showed concern and stood up, afraid that her mother had been harmed. Outside, among the unconscious guards and panicking bystanders, Elena sheepishly looked inside.

"Uh…uh…uh…I'm really sorry…It's just…I got attacked and…"

Elena saw Mr. Shinra poking his head from underneath the table. "Hey, it's Mr. Shinra!" she said cheerfully. "Hi Rufus…"

Tifa jumped over the door, grabbed Elena by the arm, and broke into a run. "What's going on?" Elena asked.

"Less talking, more running!"

----------

Tseng scanned the trees and ground, but found nothing. Absolutely nothing. It was getting irritating. "I'm all for hide and seek," Tseng called out, "But this is wasting my time. Come out here, coward!"

"_Like hell!" Cloud thought, in his chosen hiding spot. "A wise man always knows when to fight and when to take flight."_

Tseng growled in frustration, but then an idea light up in his head. "How about I tell you little story to pass the time?"

"_Hmmm?"_

"It's little tale that ends with a bang…you know what I mean. True story...It happened a little over five years ago. I think it was in ...South America..."

Tintin was about to bark, but Cloud his muzzle shut.

"The setting?" Tseng asked mockingly. "It just so happened to be at a little old place called the Strife Manor...sound familiar?"

"_Huh?"_

"_**He's talking about us," the voice whispered in contempt.**_

Cloud slapped the side of his head, letting go of the dog's muzzle. The dog gave out a bark, and Tseng heard. Cloud grabbed his muzzle again, still concealing their hiding spot.

"The main idea of the story? It was simple job, really. Simple, yet significant."

"_**Ha!"**_

"We got a tip from her loveliness, Vice-President Hopkins, that certain man by the name of Jonathan Strife had poked his nose where it didn't belong...and found something. So...I rounded up a couple dozen of my Triad buddies, cocked our guns, went straight to merry South Africa...and had a ball!"

The horror crept down Cloud's spine when he realized what Tseng was talking about. Tseng continued to search carefully around the trees. "So," Tseng said nonchalantly, "We got to the house...shoot several dozen maids...some butlers...maybe a cook or two...but I say! Your mother and father sure could hide well. It took almost two hours! Must be a family trait."

Tseng heard something stir from behind and turned around. He crept back and kept searching. "Luckily, I am a good seeker, so I found them eventually. When I did, they made absolutely not attempts to run. Well, their suicide!"

"_**He's laughing at you."**_

"_S-shut up!"_

"Do you know what your old man said before he died?" Tseng asked. "He told me to pass on a message to Shinra. He asked...no, more like...he begged that you and little Miss Marlene would be left alone. Ahhh, it was soooooooo pathetic..."

"_**I say we leave our little hiding spot and cut him to pieces!" the voice shouted in glee. **_

"What?" Tseng asked. "You don't care? Still not in the mood to come out and talk, Nicoli?"

A disturbance came from a bush, and Tintin bounded through, barking and howling up a storm. So preoccupied for just a moment, Tseng did not anyone sneak up behind him. He swerved around instinctively, blocking a death blow. He was still disappointed.

"Still not Nicoli," Tseng muttered. "I have no interest in you…I want to talk to **him**."

"Too bad!"

Tseng pushed the opposing sword off and stepped back. He noticed the anger on Cloud's face and shook his head.

"Nicoli is more frightening when angry."

Shinra's words came back, warning him.

"_**It's called a 'memory rush'," Shinra finally said. "It happens whenever you let yourself feel extreme, negative emotions, while thinking too hard. For example, anger."**_

Cloud took a deep breathe and let it. "Yeah…I hear you, old man."

Tseng grew more impatient than before and charged forward. He struck, and it was blocked. He dragged both of their swords down and pulled up to strike another blow. Cloud dodged it and swung his sword at Tseng arm, managing a stinging slice. Tseng backed up, upon reaction.

"_This brat…actually hit me!"_

"Those people that you killed in my home," Cloud whispered. "I grew up with all of them. Ate with them, slept under the same roof, laughed and got angry with them…and now, all of them are dead."

Tseng smiled disdainfully and sneered.

"You got to know all of them?!" Tseng asked. "How sentimental…and yet…how tacky."

"_I really don't know…" Cloud thought._

"…_why I feel this way," Tseng continued, without knowing it. "But for some reason…"_

"…_being around this guy really pisses me off!"_

Tseng charged for another attack, but a third person swiftly ran between them, making him stop. "Are you two getting into another fight?" Sephiroth asked.

"Get the hell out of my way!" Tseng yelled.

"Uh, no thanks…"

Without taking his eyes off of Tseng, Sephiroth spoke to his cousin in a not-so-serious tone. "Hey, Cloudie-sama…let me talk to your new found buddy and run along inside like a good little boy…"

"But…"

"Sorry," Sephiroth replied. "Madame's orders. She's in meeting right now, so take it up to her later."

Cloud bit his lip and growled. Reluctantly, he ran off from the scene, muttering curses under his breathe.

----------

"Where have you guys been?!" Lucy scolded. "You have to up and disappear for eternity at a time like this?" Tifa caught her breathe and noticed clothespins on everyone's noses.

"Stinky tofu?" Elena asked, with a whimper. Lucy rolled her eyes and tossed her a box with a pair of chopsticks. The smell, coming from the box, was like rotten limburger with a touch of something else (I've smelled it before myself; it's nasty!). Tifa gagged and thought she was about to throw up. Elena opened the box in delight, emitting the God-forsaken smell all the more. Lucy tossed Tifa another clothespin.

"We have to get home," Lucy announced. "I got a call saying there's a dangerous intruder on the estate. I'll bet you fifty bucks it's Tseng."

Lucy looked around and realized the Yuffie was nowhere in sight.

"Hey Tifa…where's your friend?"

Tifa stopped breathing and gritted her teeth in anguish. She lowered her head, letting her bangs cover her eyes.

"She's going back to New York."

----------

Several yards from the end of the small forest, the Madame waited with two people.

"I thought you were in a meeting," Cloud stated.

"They let me take a brief leave," she replied. "Come on…he might not be alone…"

"Was Tseng involved in Manor Massacre?" Cloud asked. The Madame winced and looked away.

"If he was, did you never tell me? Or have I forgotten that I knew that piece of information?"

Without waiting for an answer, Cloud walked past her. She sighed in shame and stood still. Behind her, she heard a surprised yelp. She twisted around, and the two people were already making a fuss over the new object of their concern. Cloud was a half-sitting, half lying down in the grass. He shivered, as if they were in cold weather, and his hand rested on his head.

"Is it a memory rush?" the Madame asked in a panic frenzy. She knelt down next to him. "I thought we gave him pain killers."

"It feels," he whispered. "It feels…like something…cold…and sharp…is crawling up my back…and into my head…why does it feel so cold?"

Cloud started coughing violently.

"Oh God," the Madame whispered. "It's happening…"

Cloud tried to respond. Instead, he coughed up blood on her blouse.

----------

It was a long, twenty minute drive back for everyone. No noise, no talking, no laughter, no sighs. Just an ominous void of silence…very uncommon for a whole troupe of women. Lucy kept her eye on the road, scowling to wake the dead. Tifa leaned against the window and stared at the fast passing landscape. Scarlet started picking under her fingernails. Elena became fed up. "This totally sucks!" Elena finally yelled, breaking the silence. "Why does Shinra have to ruin everything, single, freaking thing?!"

"Don't forget the Triads," Shera added plainly.

"Our shopping day got hosed," Marlene muttered.

"You can say that again," Scarlet replied.

Lucy took her eyes of the road for a moment and gave Tifa a glance.

"She mentioned something about a trance," Tifa said.

Lucy hummed and nodded. "So…what did they say to you when you were with them?"

"I don't wanna talk about it."

Lucy's cell phone went off, and she answered it quickly. "Yeah…It's Lucy. We're heading back and…"

Lucy stopped talking and listened intensely. Her eyes widened in shock. "Is it certain?"

The person on the other end babbled a few more words and hung up. Lucy flipped the phone closed and threw it haphazardly in a random place. Lucy pushed harder on the gas, startling everyone in the car.

"What's the matter with you?!" Scarlet cried. "If you go way beyond the speed limit, the traffic cop will stop us! It'll slow us down! This is Taiwan, remember?"

Lucy concentrated on the road, with one thought circulating through her head.

"_Hold on, Cloud. If it isn't too much to ask, don't let him take you…"_

----------

"_**Wake up, sleepyhead."**_

_**Alarmed, Cloud opened his eyes and sat up in the dark, floorless room. The girl in bandages was kneeling down, staring at him.**_

"_**What happened?" Cloud asked.**_

"_**You passed out," she answered. "Remember, silly boy?"**_

"_**I mean before that."**_

"_**I tried to wake up on my own," the woman explained. "You weren't ready. Sorry."**_

"_**Tried to wake up?" Cloud asked. The woman nodded.**_

"_**He did want to talk to me."**_

"_**So you're Nicoli?"**_

"_**In a sense, yes I am."**_

"_**Nicoli is a boy's name," Cloud replied.**_

"_**That's good," the woman replied. "In reality, I actually am one."**_

_**Cloud gave her a sickened look and scooted a few inches away. The woman laughed.**_

"_**He wishes to speak with me, so I must wake up." The woman reached out her hand.**_

"_**If you wake up," Cloud replied, "what will happen?"**_

_**The woman frowned. "He won't leave the estate until he talks to me. He won't leave them alone until we speak."**_

"_**You didn't answer the question."**_

"_**There is no time for questions!" the woman scolded. She reached out both of her hands and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Just let me borrow this body for a while and I'll take care of it…"**_

"_**Borrow…"**_

_**Cloud pushed her away, stood up, and put a good distance between them. "No."**_

_**The woman stood up as well.**_

"_**We can drive him off just fine by ourselves," Cloud answered. "And besides, I've already been warned that you are not to be trusted."**_

_**The woman stared back with her one eye, speechless. Then she closed her eye, and the bandages around her face unraveled. Cloud stared at her exposed face in shock and horror. Her face was the same as his!**_

"_**So, I'm not to be trusted, eh? Well, if that's the way you feel…"**_

_**The bandages came lightning fast and wrapped around Cloud's neck, squeezing and choking the breathe out of him. Automatically, he grabbed the bandages and tried to yank them off. The entity smiled deviously.**_

"_**It's your fault, you know," the entity said. "I tried to be nice, but you decided to be stubborn…"**_

----------

"Should we come back tomorrow morning?"

Madame Luciano looked up and acknowledged the President of her B.O.D. Cid knelt beside her on the bed, saying nothing. She smiled weakly and shook her head. "It's alright...I'm coming right now."

Cloud lay completely unconscious, or so it seemed. Gently, she squeezed his hand and kissed it. Then, the hand squeezed back, followed by the sound of a stirring person. The Madame let go of the hand as he slowly sat up. His head was low enough that the bangs covered his eyes. Concerned, the Madame grabbed him and urged him not to move too much. Instead of heading her advice, he looked at the palms of his hands, as if he hadn't seen them in a long time.

"Let me go...it's okay..."

He raised his head, just enough to have some eye contact with her. The Madame stared back, wide-eyed and stupefied. Instead of having those beautiful, clear, dark blue, they had turned to a clouded, carmine red.

"Nicoli," the Madame muttered.

The President realized what was going on and backed away, towards the door, while practically hyperventilating. Cid sighed, slightly annoyed at his fear. Slowly, lowering his head again, Nicoli turned his attention towards the President and smirked.

"Pitiful," he said, in a biting tone. "I have nothing to gain from killing..."

He stopped in mid-sentence, alarmed for some reason, and quickly turned towards the silkscreen door. A disturbing grin appeared on his face.

Finally, Nicoli slipped off of the bed and stood up. "My sword."

In a frenzy, the president saw the sword, propped against a chair, and ran over to retrieve it.

"_What a wimp," Cid thought._

----------

The van screeched to a halt. Lucy turned off the engine and was out of the car before everyone else, neglecting to close the door. Tifa watched as Lucy ran into the house and knew that something else was not right. The men at the front door barely had enough time to open the door for her. Quickly, she ran through the hall, heading for Cloud's room. She turned a corner, and the Madame was waiting for her.

"Too late."

Lucy cursed again, under her breathe.

"I should have left them and come back earlier myself," Lucy replied in remorse.

"No," the Madame whispered firmly. "This is better. If you had come in time and prolonged it...you would only be prolonging it. It would have happened eventually. Let Cloud fight this battle on his own. He'll win."

Lucy groaned and put her hands on her hips. "He doesn't have all his memories back. Ya sure you're not overestimating him?"

Despite the ugliness of the situation, the Madame gave her a silly smile and stuck out her tongue. "You really should know by now that it's impossible to do that..."

----------

Sephiroth had lost Tseng, and he was not happy about it. He kept walking through the trees, finding no sign of him.

"What's up with that? One minute, we're arguing, and the next minute, he just takes off like a forest fire was coming."

----------

Humming a cheerful tune, Nicoli trailed the stone rail, by the sea. He looked ahead and saw about two dozen people walking towards him, with their swords bared and ready. At first, Nicoli stopped and gaped at the display. Then he blew on his bangs, scoffed at all the hopeless fools in the world, and charged towards them. He pulled out the sword with an irritated look on his face.

"What a waste of time..."

* * *

Please review on your way towards the next chapter... 


	20. Recalled to Life Pt Three

"So he headed to south edge?" Lucy asked.

"Yeah," Cid replied. "And he took Belezza Spaventosa with him."

Lucy started to think that the halls were too long.

"The halls are too darn long," Cid muttered.

"Amen," Elena answered.

"Where's Sephiroth?" Lucy asked. "God…he always was a slacker…and at a time like this too."

"Forget it," Cid replied. "He seems to only show up when he's needed."

Then came the light tap of running footsteps. Elena looked over her shoulder and mouthed an uh-oh. Tifa caught up with them, and all were silent.

"I'm being kept in the dark again, aren't I?" Tifa asked.

No one would answer.

"It smells like Cloud," Tifa said. "Is something wrong?"

"Something wrong?" Lucy asked innocently. "Why would you think that?"

Tifa glared at Lucy skeptically.

"Give her the bridged version," Elena muttered clandestinely.

"I heard that!"

----------

Tseng came across what was literally a trail of blood. Bodies lying all over the place. Tseng was used to seeing things like this, usually in a grim manner. Somehow he found it funny and stupid at the same time. He nudged a body with his foot, getting it out of his path.

"I've told her time again not to send anyone with me," Tseng mumbled. "Why does she keep doing it?"

He kept walking, stepping over more bodies until he came to the very end of "south edge". A balcony-like, circular area, built over the edge, just over the sea. There, someone waited patiently. He drew near the entrance of the balcony and saw a sheathed sword propped against the rail of the balcony. Tseng understood, undid the strap of his sheath, and sat his sword in a similar way. Nicoli had his head turned, sitting on the rail.

"Your handiwork?" Tseng asked

"It was like Kill Bill Vol. 1."

Then, Nicoli turned sharply and narrowed his eyes impatiently.

"You said you wanted to speak with me, so speak!"

"No small time chatter?" Tseng asked sarcastically.

Nicoli gave him an impish smirk. Tseng frowned.

"It's about the Christmas Eve Incident in San Francisco," Tseng said. "I believe you're familiar with that event."

"Very well."

"Why did you kill President Shinra Sr.?" Tseng asked.

"Did dear ol' Mummy make you come all this way to ask me _that_?" Nicoli asked flippantly.

Tseng growled and Nicoli chuckled. "Don't be so sore…I'll answer…but it's simpler than you imagine. To be quite blunt, I did it because I loathed him…"

"But someone was in cahoots with you," Tseng interrupted. "We want to know who allowed you to kill him."

"If you think that I'd tell you _that_ easily," Nicoli answered, "Then you're soft in the head."

"Playing hard to get…as usual. You always like to make it so hard."

"Whatcha gonna do to me then?" Nicoli mocked. "Force it out of me?"

"I wouldn't dream of it," Tseng retorted. "But from our sources, this person is outside of the Mafia. Therefore, I see no reason why you should keep the name to yourself."

Nicoli covered his mouth and stifled a laugh.

"That is…impossible…"

"What?"

"I made a promise," Nicoli answered cryptically.

"What promise?" Tseng questioned.

"How's Momomi?" Nicoli asked. "I haven't seen her in nearly five years."

"What promise?!" Tseng repeated.

"And how's your 'mother'?" Nicoli asked. "Still a witch?"

"What promise?!"

"Are you a broken record? Isn't it obvious that I won't tattle-tale?"

Tseng snarled and gritted his teeth.

"That man was our leader," Tseng said quietly. "It was a great loss."

"There are several billions of people in the world," Nicoli declared. "What makes one person more important than the rest?"

"I didn't come for an argument."

"If we are enemies, what makes you think we won't have a conflict?"

Nicoli felt a shot of pain in his head. He held it for a moment and groaned before sliding of the rail and onto the ground. The pain left…for a moment.

"I've run out of time," Nicoli muttered. "He's finally overpowering me."

"You mean the spoiled brat from South Africa?" Tseng replied.

"He's not spoiled," Nicoli answered. "And he can hold a better conversation than you."

The pain came back, this time stronger and longer. He stumbled backward and ran into the rail. Tseng found an avenue to look down on him in scorn.

"You criticize me and you can't even control your other self?"

Nicoli recovered and smiled.

"The only reason you're able to keep your other self under is because he's pathetic, insignificant speck…he's weak…"

Another attack came and did not completely leave. Nicoli sank to his knees.

"Damn, he's persistent," Nicoli muttered.

Nicoli faced his adversary and spoke, intending to end the conversation.

"I will tell you one thing about your precious leader. He blamed Momomi for supposedly failing in her task. And you? He thought you were a miserable failure! He most likely planned on getting rid of you as soon as could. If that were true, I did you a favor! And what of my collaborator? He _asked_ me to dispose of Shinra Sr…because he was ashamed of him…of having such a person…whom he looked up to… all his life…"

His words gave Tseng a start. He turned his head, angry and confused of what to do next. He turned again, but his somewhat useful informant had finally fallen to the ground, unconscious.

----------

"_**Let… me…go!"**_

_**The bandages tore by some unseen force, blowing the entity backwards. It shrieked in distress and landed on its back. It quickly sat up and Cloud standing, rubbing his neck from the discomfort.**_

"_**I'm impressed," it said. "That you were able to repel me so quickly. But it doesn't matter. I come and go as I…"**_

_**Cloud walked towards it in a calm manner. The entity eyes widened in shock and started to get up. Instead, Cloud reached down, grabbed it roughly by the neck and pulled it up.**_

"_**Now I remember who you are," Cloud said. "Do you really think you can have your way with me that easily?"**_

_**The entity, who had the same face as him, glared back in rage and clutched his wrist.**_

"_**Why you…"**_

"_**I've already kept you under lock and key once…Did you really think that me losing my memories would make me vulnerable all of the sudden?"**_

_**The entity attacked with bandages again. Cloud let go of it, and the bandages wrapped around him like a cocoon. After a few seconds, the bandages completely tore to pieces a burst of unexplainable energy. The entity looked at itself and saw that all of the bandages had vanished. Cloud grabbed it by the neck again, but this time, he squeezed.**_

"_**Don't get things twisted," Cloud warned. "Remember, this is my mind after all. I can shift it any way **__**I**__** please. You're just living in it."**_

_**Then, he gave her his signature smile. "And besides, you haven't forgotten about our little agreement."**_

_**The entity lowered its head and sighed. Then, it began to laugh. Cloud stopped squeezing.**_

"_**What's funny this time?" **_

"_**You passed!" the entity cried in delight. **_

_**In a spell of bewilderment, Cloud let the entity go. His left eye began to twitch…again.**_

"_**Say what?!" Cloud asked.**_

"_**You passed," the entity said slowly, spelling it out. "Now I'm really sure I have a good other half."**_

_**Cloud's left eye continued to twitch.**_

"_**The bandages only came back because I got put away," the entity explained. "I wanted to make sure that your control over me wasn't a fluke…"**_

"_**That was no excuse to attack me!" Cloud shouted.**_

_**The entity shrugged, turned around, and walked away. "The ends justify the means."**_

"_**Where do you think you're going?"**_

_**The entity gave no answer. Suddenly, it's form began to dissolve as it walked further away.**_

"_**Hey, wait a second!" Cloud yelled. "Come back here! I'm not through with you!"**_

_**The entity had completely disappeared. Cloud stared into the empty darkness, dumbfounded as all get-up. His left eye resumed twitching.**_

"_**What…was that?"**_

_**Cloud felt something in his hand: a small piece of bandage. He looked back into the darkness again.**_

"_**What's going on?"**_

_**Slowly, he dropped to his knees, held his head with both hands, threw his head back and yelled,**_

"_**AUUUUUUUGH!!!! HOW DID I DO THAT?! I DON'T KNOW ANYTHING ANYMORE!"**_

----------

"We're carrying really dangerous weapons," said Tifa, "that probably means something's up."

Lucy cocked the shot gun underneath her arm as they walked. "We believe in being prepared."

Cid looked far ahead and went pale with dread. "Speaking of being prepared…"

He pointed to the bloody trail they were coming upon. Lucy squinted her eyes (she was slightly nearsighted) and groaned in dismay. "Yeash!" she cried in objection. "If Nicoli likes to come out and play once in a while, the least he could do is not leave a mess! Now we have to burn the bodies, scatter the ashes, hose the blood off the cement…"

Elena grimaced in disgust, not wanting to go through it. Tifa, who was used to scenes like this, just looked on gravely. Never the less, they went through, stepping over whatever they had to.

"Damn!" Cid muttered. "Haven't seen this in a long time…"

"I knew Cloud was in trouble," Tifa said, in concern, "But I didn't think it was to this extreme."

"EWWWWWWWW!" Elena screamed. "Ew…ew…ew…ew! This is why I like bombs better! It's not this gross!"

"Ah, stop whining!" Lucy scolded. "Quite acting up and keep looking. He should be close…all we hafta do is follow the 'trail'."

Elena gave Lucy a raspberry and hopped double-time through the corpses.

"I've already seen a lot," Tifa said. "You might as well tell me what's going on. I think I can take it."

"It's like we said," Cid replied. "We got ourselves an intruder. Cloud had another spontaneous collapse…and when he woke up, he wasn't exactly…himself."

"Why do I even bother?"

Elena, through her efforts, made it out of the mess and went to examine the balcony area. She gasped and waved frantically for the others to come quick. As they rest finally made it there, Sephiroth had already gotten there first, supporting Cloud as he sat up, rubbing his head.

"You're late," Sephiroth said to the latecomers.

Isn't irony interesting?

"Tseng?" Lucy asked.

"Gone," Cloud and Sephiroth replied in unison.

"Nicoli?" Elena asked fiercely.

"Bedtime," Cloud answered.

Elena turned on Lucy in rage. "What did we have to walk through that mess for?"

"What mess?" Cloud inquired.

Everyone stayed silent. Elena tried to speak, but Lucy slapped her on the shoulder.

"The clean-up job isn't important right now," Sephiroth said. "Check this out."

Without asking permission, Sephiroth grabbed Cloud by the head and tilted it to the side.

"Find something interesting?" Cloud asked.

"If you had a mirror," Sephiroth replied, "You'd see the red marks all over your neck…"

Lucy pushed past the rest and knelt down beside them. She pushed Sephiroth back and took her turn invading Cloud's privacy. "What red marks?...Yeash! If Tseng did this, I'll kill him!"

Elena began to venture forth herself. "Red marks? Lemme have a look…"

"Back!" Cloud commanded, giving everyone a stop sign gesture. Elena found it wise to stay away. Cloud reached into Sephiroth's jacket pocket and pulled out a compact mirror.

"How come you knew I had a mirror?" Sephiroth asked.

"Cuz you're vain."

Cloud opened the mirror and examined his neck for himself. Indeed, red stripe rings circled around his neck.

"That freaky lady was choking me with those bandages," Cloud recalled. "Maybe what happens in my mind can happen out here too."

Cloud stood up by himself, causing his whole family to rush forward in a panic.

"Give me some bloody space!" Cloud shouted. "I am NOT broken!"

Everyone stopped like a dime. Curiously, he walked out of the balcony area.

"Now what's this 'mess' that Elena mentioned?"

"Uh, Cloud," Lucy whispered, in a forewarning tone.

And Cloud saw the mess. He stared for a moment, with dinner plate eyes, and then slapped his forehead.

"_He _did this?" Cloud asked the group. The whole group nodded…except for Tifa, who was still as confused as hell.

"Would anyone mind telling me what's going on?!" Tifa inquired angrily.

Everyone in the area began to whistle a tune, pretending the Tifa hadn't said a word. Tifa went into another temper fit. She stomped towards Cloud, roughly turned him around and forced him to march forward.

"M-miss Lockh..."

"Don't you 'Miss Lockhart' me!" Tifa shouted.

Tifa gave the whole crew a menacing, venomous stare that made them all step back.

"I am going to be waiting back at the Madame's house," Tifa declared. "When you're done figuring out the clean-up costs…you're gonna tell me exactly what's going on around here…"

Then, she focused her full attention on her prisoner.

"As for you," she whispered, "You're gonna march your butt back with me…_then _you'll tell me what _you_ know!"

"But I barely know anything," Cloud replied.

"It's better than what I've been getting up to now…Now march!"

"But why do we have to 'march', mum?"

"DO NOT TEST ME, CLOUD-SENSEI!"

Elena head behind Lucy and watched as her cousin and "mum" became smaller and smaller.

"Angry Tifa scares me," Elena said.

"Amen," Sephiroth replied.

* * *

Ah...it's finally over. Nooooooow I can keep my promise to Toons.

And no, I ain't telling what it is...It's a surprise...


	21. Lovers' Feud

Dammit! I still haven't gotten to it!

Find a happy place, Divestre. Find a happy place.

* * *

"Hey, kid?" 

Cid knocked on the Cloud's door, but got no answer. He opened the door, leading to an empty, unoccupied room. A piece of paper, with a note, was pinned on a standing pillow for everyone to see.

"Oh no…"

Cid tore the paper off of the pin and let his eyes race over the letters.

_I need some time alone to think. Don't wait up; I might not be back by morning._

_Cloud _

In a fit of rage, Cid crushed the paper in his hands. He threw it down onto the floor and stomped on it like crazy.

"Dammit! He'll never change!"

He ran out of the room to inform everyone of Cloud's escape.

----------

"You're sneaking out?" Tifa asked. "Shouldn't we let someone know first?"

"Have you been drinking?" Cloud asked.

They came upon a small, wooden shed, several yards from the back of the house.

"I hope it's still in good condition," Cloud said.

"What's it?"

Inside the shed, a beautiful, black Ducatti stood alone, waiting patiently for its master.

"Well, I'm off."

"Now wait just a minute!" Tifa remembered the situation. "You really are running off!"

"Not from you I assure you," Cloud replied.

"I still want to know everything…You can't just keep hiding things for me!"

Cloud looked down at her feet and was pleased to know that she was wearing sneakers instead of heels. He opened a large cabinet on the shed's wall.

"You're gonna have to tell me what's going on eventually," Tifa said, with reason. "So you might as well tell me now. You can't keep avoiding me!"

Cloud tossed her a helmet and fastened on his own. "Problem solved," he answered. "Do you want to sneak back inside for a coat, or will you be fine?"

Tifa stared at the helmet and shook her head.

Oh no!" Tifa cried. "I am not…"

"Then you'll just have to wait for my part of the explanation in the morning," Cloud answered firmly.

"Your ultimatum?" Tifa asked.

"Yes."

Tifa took a deep breathe and stared at the dark grey helmet in her hands.

"If you're not going with me," Cloud said, "then can I please have my spare helmet back?"

Tifa looked at the helmet, then at Cloud, and then at the helmet again.

----------

They drove deeper into the city, among the traffic. Tifa looked up at the high buildings and the Chinese signs, while holding fast to the driver.

"Where exactly are we going?" Tifa asked.

"I have absolutely no idea," Cloud replied. "I'm just following my instincts."

He made a sharp, right turn and drove into an indoor parking lot, near a hotel. Finding the nearest spot, they parked and walked away.

"Leaving your Ducatti in a public parking lot?" Tifa asked.

"Oh, not to worry…if anyone touches the motorcycle when the key is more then ten feet away, it gives off an electric shock."

Tifa gave him a hard stare and laughed, even though she wasn't sure whether he was serious or not.

----------

"Welcome back to the Ritz-Carlton, Mr. Strife," said the doorman. "It's been too long."

Cloud waved to the doorman as they went through into the lobby. Tifa looked around the dim-lit area and frowned.

"We're getting a room?" Tifa asked.

"Correction," Cloud replied. "We already have one."

"I thought you said…"

"I'm still following my instincts."

Tifa eyed him suspiciously and pressed her lips together.

"It has two bedrooms," Cloud reassured.

"And how do you know that?" Tifa questioned.

"Not a bloody clue."

The concierge relinquished a pair of keys and bowed their heads. A man opened the elevator door for them, with a smile.

"Good evening, Mr. Strife."

"Good evening, Benji."

For Tifa, there was no end to the confusion.

----------

Attentively, daughter Hopkins performed first-aid skills on mother Hopkins. The Vice-President, obviously not amused, became irritated with her daughter's care and stood with a slight limp.

"That's enough, Alice."

Alice nodded and put the tools away.

"One of those low-life FV soldiers did this," Alice whispered coldly. "I'd like to kill them all."

"In due time," Gertrude replied comfortingly.

"Not fast enough for me," Alice hissed.

Shinra entered into the room. Alice stepped back, letting her mother handle the visitor.

"I trust you are alright," Shinra said.

"Forget that!" Gertrude snapped. "Our problem now is your troublesome daughter. What kind of girl did you raise?"

"An opinionated, intelligent one," Shinra muttered quietly.

Shinra left as quickly as he came to an unknown destination. Alice decided to keep a careful eye on the President from now on.

----------

Tifa scurried to the other side of the penthouse suite. She opened a door and found the second bedroom. She nodded in approval, relaxed, and walked out.

"Okay…just stay out of where I'm sleeping, and I'll be okay."

"It's my penthouse," Cloud replied.

"But you've never had a girl go with you before," Tifa argued.

"Yes, I have."

Letting out another groan for the day, Tifa began to retreat to her room.

"Of course he has," she mumbled. "He's not a virgin…"

"Marlene's the only girl that has ever stayed with me here…she doesn't remember, but she loved it."

It's funny how you can unwittingly open your mouth and insert your foot.

"I'm taking a shower," Tifa said.

"Good idea," Cloud replied. "I'm going to the kitchen to drink myself silly again."

Tifa hoped to God that he was joking. She shut the door behind her and went at it. A few moments later, a knock came at the door, and Cloud looked through the peephole. He stared for a moment, griped mentally, and slowly opened the door. Calmly expecting a hostile reception, Mr. Shinra walked through, with Rude close behind. Shinra spoke before anyone could say anything.

"You see?" Shinra asked. "I don't fully let the B.O.D. control my actions. I never could. I never will. Things will change."

Rude offered to take his coat, but Shinra refused.

"I'll make this short. Keep away from the company for a while. I've made some plans. Stay out of sight. Don't go back to America just yet."

"Aeris will kill me," Cloud mumbled.

"Would you prefer Aeris or the Triads?" Shinra asked rhetorically.

Shinra stepped back, grinned in a joking manner, and signaled to Rude that he was ready to leave. Rude nodded and opened the door for his boss.

"Goodbye Mr. Strife…and promise me something."

"Yes?"

"Don't die."

And Shinra was gone once again.

"The only man I'll never stand," Cloud said to himself.

Meanwhile, down the hall, Rude walked behind his boss. Shinra felt the question in the air but at first, said nothing. They entered the elevator and stood side by side as it went down. Rude made good use of his peripheral vision to glance curiously at his boss.

"Go ahead," Shinra said. "Ask it."

"What are you planning?" Rude asked.

"I plan on getting a company."

Cryptic messages were Shinra's strong suit.

----------

Cid showed Lucy the crumbled up note. She ironed off some of the wrinkles and read over it.

"Why that little putz!" Lucy shouted.

Sephiroth looked over her shoulder. "What's with the happy face by his name?"

Cid and Lucy glared at him. Sephiroth shrugged and sat down haphazardly on the couch, next to Marlene, who had a pad in her hand. Sephiroth leaned over and saw that she was playing advanced Sodoko.

"Should we inform the Madame?" Lucy asked. "While she's in her meeting with the B.O.D?"

"Get a search party first," Cid grumbled. "Make sure they arm themselves with extra strong tasers…and tear gas. Who knows what he'll be like when they find him."

In almost supernatural timing, the secretary of the B.O.D. poked her head into the sitting room, and got their attention. "The Madame says that she already knows that he's gone; she spoke with him first. She says to leave him be…he'll probably won't be any safer here than he is out there."

The secretary left momentarily and poked her head back in. "Oh…and she also says not to send a search party armed with tasers and tear gas."

The secretary left the whole room, except for a fully absorbed Marlene, in a stupor.

----------

Room service left, and they were alone again. Tifa lounged on the couch and devoured something she had not eaten in so long: a cheeseburger with pickles, lettuce, onions and tomatoes.

"Would you mind if I told you a story?" Cloud asked.

"Is it a good one?" Tifa replied.

"One would think."

Tifa shrugged and gave him permission with a hand gesture.

"Let's say…once upon a time, there were three people…like me. Two men and a woman. All from completely countries. There names…the eldest was Tseng Xen-Yueh…the middle was the woman…Momomi Yukihime…and the youngest was Nicoli di Luciano…the Madame's late brother. Tseng was part of the Triads, Momomi was part of the Japanese Mafia, and Nicoli was from the Sicilian Mafia."

"And they were friends?" Tifa asked.

"Nope…Tseng and Nicoli hated each other. When Nicoli was about 10, Tseng had orders to capture him. When Tseng tried to grab ol' Nicky, he killed his parents...right in front of him. By the time Nicky was 15, he had become so twisted…so completely sick…he tracked Tseng down, paralyzed him with a taser, and slowly destroyed his left eye with a knife before being forced to run away from rescuing Triad members. Understandably, they weren't on very good terms ever since."

"Understandably," Tifa repeated.

Crunch went the lettuce.

"Their estranged…ehem… relationship kept getting worse. Then more trouble came, when Nicky turned 21, and it was by the name of a red-head name was Momomi. Tseng, at the time, was a married man in his thirties, by 'business advantage', but he fell in love with Momomi, age 26, and kept her as an open mistress. Momomi liked him, but she started becoming bored and wanted a way out. As fate would have it, Nicky and Momomi met, under 'mysterious' circumstances. She started pursuing him relentlessly, but he was well aware of her relationship with Tseng. The idea of playing with one of his sworn enemy's 'toys' was ludicrous to him. Plus, he was already the kind of man who wouldn't sleep with the same woman twice. But it sure didn't stop her from trying…"

Tifa giggled in delight (for the food), and Cloud stopped to watch.

"Momomi sounds like a tart," Tifa replied. "Was she pretty?"

"Pretty," Cloud answered, with a hint of doubt, "but an evil looking pretty. Picture the Japanese version of Marilyn Monroe…but thin and with prettier skin."

"Ugh," Tifa mumbled.

"My feelings are mutual. Anyway…this went on for a few months. Her playful attraction to him turned into romantic feelings. Eventually, Nicoli became so sick of her advances that he let himself succumb to it and fooled around with her in his Parisian flat. At first, he intended for it to be a one night stand…but then, it happened again…and again…and again. By the seventh or eighth time, it became a full blown affair, causing a huge, international scandal amongst criminals."

"That must've been embarrassing," Tifa replied, with a mouth full of food. "I wonder what their parents thought of it."

"Forget their parents," Cloud responded. "It got even nastier when Tseng caught wind of it. Went completely insane and tried to kill Nicoli."

"That sounds like a story out of a crime novel."

"Stories are inspired by reality. Finally, in self-defense, Nicoli shot three bullets into Tseng's chest and killed him. Momomi was happy to be 'free' and hoped to finally have the relationship she wanted. But Nicoli decided to end their relationship immediately, much her grief…and anger."

"So she started trying to kill him too?" Tifa asked.

"Months later, she tried to commit a murder/suicide by poisoning herself and gunning him down. He survived his wounds, and she died of the self-poisoning. Five years later, Nicoli looked back on his life with disgust and decided to "do the world a favor" and killed himself too."

Tifa nearly choked on her food laughing. "I'll never understand how criminals think. So, is that the end of your little story?"

"Nope…it's only beginning. Courtesy of the 'recycling' program in bio-engineering… started by the Madame's father….schmuck…"

Cloud took a few moments' break and eat. Tifa waited impatiently.

"It's basically when they decide take parts of a recently dead person's body… and use it to create a new experiment."

"Ewww!" Tifa complained.

"The Triads immediately used Tseng's former body and created a second Tseng, whom I reacquainted myself with just this early afternoon. Those darn Japanese Mafia people created a second 'her' as soon as she was dead too."

Tifa snorted, almost expecting what she heard.

"So the Mafia created another Nicoli, who's running around as we speak?" she asked.

"Nope…the Mafia took his remains and created _me_ as soon as _he _was dead."

He has said it so casually that it disturbed her. Tifa gave him a horrified glance.

"And you don't have a problem with that?!"

"Au contraire…of course I do."

Tifa felt her appetite come back with a vengeance, and she attacked, with a nervous edge.

"I'm told that I'm his spitting image," Cloud continued. "Though…I'm not so sure that I like that. He was a violent, messed-up sociopath back in the day. Honestly…Momo had no eye for men."

"Is your story close to over?" Tifa asked, secretly in fear.

"Uh-uh…it gets even better…just my luck…the scientists decided to go where man must never go and tried something new…"

"Where man must never go?" Tifa questioned.

"Yes…"

Tifa noticed that his plate was nearly half-full.

"Uh…?"

"Yeah?"

"I've been noticing something lately," Tifa said. "You've been eating more than you usually do."

"This is how I ate before I got shot up with the poison," Cloud explained. "It's sort of a hunger thing that runs in the Luciano side of the family."

The plate was emptying fast. Tifa made a perfect "o" with her lips and slowly turned her head. She remembered her canned coffee drink and twisted it open. "That's gross," she muttered. "How on earth to you keep your thin figure?"

"An extremely fast metabolism."

She wasn't sure whether to take him seriously or not.

"So this Momomi person," Tifa recalled. "Have you met the second one yet?"

"Unfortunately, yes."

"Why unfortunately?"

"Because I hate her guts."

Tifa wanted to leave it at that, but she had unwittingly started a chain reaction.

"I first met her when she started dating Cid," Cloud continued. "No wait a second…I first met her before I knew they were dating! She flirted with me…and I was 16!"

"_Uh-oh," Tifa thought._

"The little slut…I'd like to strangle her. And get this, she and Cid was engaged once."

"Engaged?" Tifa replied in surprise. "Cid doesn't look the type to pop the question to any girl."

"Believe me; he did. And I hated him for it."

Tifa began to feel sorry for the chicken he was eating. She noticed the rare vein that popped in his neck when he was pissed off.

"At the time," Cloud went on, "I was posing as a private high school girl…so she didn't recognize me at first. I was also posing as Cid's little sister. I saw a whole bunch of Momomi…even on school breaks. And the engagement…it happened during Christmas break, when we went to Sonoma."

"And your initial reaction?" Tifa inquired.

"You'd rather not know…"

----------

Momomi waited for Tseng, by a café in the city. As he came, she stared, with her black eyes, deep into his red. He groaned in anguish and speed up, walking past her. "I hate babysitters," he mumbled. Momomi rolled her eyes and went after him.

"I hate people who won't give up and grow up," Momomi said.

Tseng scoffed and gave her a menacing glare. "So says the woman who started it all."

She looked down in shame. Tseng was right, in a funny sort of way, and she hated it when that happened. Momomi kept her head low, not wanting to see her companion.

* * *

Well, there's always the next chapter. 


	22. Redefining the Past: Party Crasher

Toons...I did it...I finally did it...well, sort of...but I finally did it! It's in the next chapter, which I'll be posting in a few seconds...but I did it!

::Happy tears roll

* * *

Tifa poked around through the kitchen cupboards and found big, plastic wrapped cookies in a small basket. Her sweet tooth took control and grabbed three of them.

"Ooh, oatmeal raisin."

Walking in borrowed women's clothes, Tifa went to the living room to continue the long chat with you-know-who. She sat across from him and handed out a cookie.

"You like this kind?" Tifa asked.

"I like any kind."

Cloud stared at the cookie for a moment. As he unwrapped the plastic, something gnawed at him, telling him that it was a bad idea. He mentally told it to shut up and bit in anyway.

"So what's was this "where-no-man-must-ever-go" experiment?" Tifa asked.

Cloud felt slightly funny in the stomach, while he took a third bite into the cookie.

"Blood," Cloud answered.

"Blood?"

"Yup…blood. The scientists decided to use the blood of the recently dead 'specimen' and…"

Tifa went pale and decided not to eat a cookie.

"That's sick," Tifa muttered.

"And illegal," Cloud added. "That's why they did it."

"And they did that to you?!"

"Yes…they did the same thing to Tseng…and Momo…and Shera…"

Tifa felt a bit of solemn anger bubble up.

"Luckily," Cloud said, "Shera remains unaffected."

"Unaffected?"

Cloud felt a strange chain reaction in his stomach. He put the cookie down in regret.

"The sampling of blood does a lot more than physically…a-affect…"

A huge wave of excruciating nausea filled his stomach. He covered his mouth.

"Uh… you're looking kinda green," Tifa whispered.

"R-r-r-read the ingredients," Cloud replied.

He pointed to one of her unwrapped cookies. Tifa saw the ingredient's label sticker and read.

"It says oats, honey, wheat gluten, wheat germ, cinnamon, nutmeg…contains soy…"

The always present voice in Cloud's head shouted.

"_**You damned fool!" cried the entity. "We're highly allergic to soy!"**_

"Oh, bugger."

"What?"

Cloud quickly got up and scrambled to nearest bathroom. A few seconds later, Tifa had the privilege of hearing her unfortunate companion empty dinner from his stomach.

----------

Rummaging through the cupboards again (this time more carefully), Tifa found canisters of fresh tea leaves and put into cotton bags.

"Better than cookies… good for the victim's stomach…"

She searched a bit more and found a weird device that looked like a large cup with a lid. She turned it over, examined it, and hummed in curiosity.

"This place has everything…but what the heck is this?"

She fiddled with the attached lid, turning it over and over with her hands.

"Maybe the 'patient' is well enough to tell me."

Tifa left the kitchen and cautiously approached his room. She opened the door, slowly, and poked her head through.

"Cloud-sensei?"

Low breathing was all that answered her. Tifa ventured closer, being as quiet as a mouse. Cloud had easily fallen asleep due to his fateful encounter with soybeans. While taking care of him and helping him to bed, out of guilt, Tifa had found him quite docile and easier to deal with than usual. It almost made her want to feed him more of the soy. Almost.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to wake him up…"

Cloud mumbled something in his sleep and groaned. Tifa felt another attack of guilt eat away at her stomach, and she knelt down, to watch him for a moment. His sleeping face seemed plagued, like he was having a bad dream. But what could she do about it? It wasn't like she was his mother.

"Mental note," Tifa whispered to herself, "Ask Cloud about all possible allergies."

Tifa stood up and turned to leave, but a hand grabbed her skirt, forcefully pulling her back. She winced out in protest, swerved around, and realized that Cloud was still asleep, unwittingly tugging on her. The uncomfortable expression on his face turned pain-stricken as if the so-called bad dream was turning into a full-blown nightmare.

----------

**Ten years ago…**

**Cid waited impatiently. Sitting at the bar, he flicked off the ashes of edge of his cigarette. He took a long drag, blew it out, and slouched over the counter. Cid glanced at his leather watch. He grimaced and pulled his sleeve over the watch again. **

"**He's late," Cid muttered bitterly. **

**The bartender offered Cid another round of beer, which he sensibly refused. A man, in a crisp, khaki trench-coat, sauntered into the bar. Cid looked over his shoulder and saw him with scorn. Arrogantly and carelessly, he sat down next to his peeved "friend" and ordered a drink.**

"**Take your time, Ralph," Cid greeted.**

"**Relax, McPherson…I have my reasons…"**

"**Indulge me."**

**The bartender slid the martini glass in front of Ralph and left to get another drink. **

"**I have a big job," Ralph replied. "Tomorrow night…at the Hilton."**

**Cid changed his mood and leaned closer.**

"**How big?"**

"**The governor of California's going there…he's announcing his engagement to some lady…didn't get the name…but I here she's a looker."**

**Cid flicked the ashes into the tray. "A woman marrying a government official …who happens to be suspected of dealing with overseas espionage and criminal activity…I love it already…but **_**why**_** were you late? And what does this have to do with me? I'm a detective…not a reporter."**

"**My boss gave me some extra info," Ralph explained. "I'll tell you everything…if you'll pose as my cameraman again. Don't you want to get a better look at this guy? If you find something dirty on him, your precinct will be tickled pink. After all, it is a Californian case, and you are a Californian detective. If our governor really was a crook, wouldn't you want to know? I'll even pay you to take them. So?"**

"**How many photos?" Cid asked.**

"**Very many."**

"**Price per photo?"**

"**$500. If not, more."**

**The smoke from the cigarette dissipated into the air in circles. Ralph saw the smile on his face and took it as a yes.**

**----------**

**Meanwhile, on the same night, other higher forces were making their own plans. President Shinra Sr. stared at the door before him, wondering whether he should go in or not. He reluctantly and slowly raised a fist and knocked in specific rhythm. A guard on the other side recognized the password and let him in.**

"**Mr. Shinra," the guard acknowledged. He bowed his head and gave him more space to pass by. Shinra Sr. marched toward the next door on the other side and opened it without knocking. He had finally found what he was looking for, a teenage girl who stood in front of the open window, peering out the window.**

**Shinra Sr. shut the door behind him, but the teen standing by the window did not flinch. Not even for a second.**

"**How are you taking the transition?" Shinra asked.**

**The girl stayed silent and pretended not to hear. Shinra cautiously stepped closer and repeated the question.**

"**Why did we leave Germany?" the girl asked. "Why did we have to go here?"**

"**Don't tell me you preferred Germany!" Shinra Sr. replied. "Dreary as hell! This is San Francisco!"**

**The teenage girl lowered her head, not wanting to face this man. Shinra remained undaunted and approached her until he was standing four feet away from her.**

"**Are you unhappy?" Shinra asked with a grin. "You know I hate it when my prized agents are unhappy…"**

"**Sono non un idiota," the girl replied in bitter Italian. "Non siete preoccupati con le mie sensibilità."**

**Shinra stepped back, slightly amused but mostly offended.**

"**Is that an accusation?" he asked.**

**The girl continued in Italian without answering and refused to face him.**

"**Se fosse veramente, desidero andare alla mia famiglia. Se significo più a voi che un'arma, ****liberarlo me!"**

**Shinra Sr. reached out touched her shoulder.**

"**You can't go back home just yet," he replied. "We still need to conduct more tests…"**

"**Menteur!" she shouted.**

**The elderly man sighed and gently grasped her chin. He turned her unwilling head and forced her to look him in the eye.**

"**Your father spent a lot of money to send you to an accelerated school. You finished when you were 13. On top of that, he spent more on finding a tutor to teach you English. The least you could do is speak it."**

"**I hate you," the girl replied angrily.**

**In a flight of rage, Shinra Sr. let go of her chin and slapped her harshly across the face.**

"**Don't ever talk to me like that again!" he yelled. "Know your place!"**

**The girl rubbed her red cheek and scowled at him before turning away.**

"**You have a job tomorrow night," Shinra Sr. continued. "I expect you to carry it out quickly... and with precision. The Vice-President will inform you on the details."**

"**No more," the girl mumbled.**

"**Do you want to get drugged again?" Shinra Sr. asked.**

**She shook her head. With that, he left the girl alone again. When the door clicked shut, she remembered the Crucifix pendant around her neck and began to fiddle with it for comfort.**

----------

**Cid straightened out his tie in front of the mirror and watched the evening news from it. It was trivial, really, and he had a mind to turn it off. It was trivial…until something particularly interesting showed up on the screen.**

"**It has been confirmed," the female reporter stated, "That an assassination threat was somehow delivered personally to the Governor of California. Apparently, he received a note early yesterday morning saying…"**

**Cid stayed inside his apartment for just a moment longer.**

**----------**

"**You're late," Ralph said mockingly. "I believe you accused me of that yesterday."**

**Ralph washed his hands in the five-star bathroom sink, smiling like he's won the lottery. **

"**I have a good reason…" Cid began.**

"**As I said yesterday."**

"**I know what ya said!"**

**Ralph grabbed a hand towel, flapped it open, and dried his hands.**

"**So your reason?"**

"**I saw a news report about a death threat issued out on our governor. It didn't reach the media until tonight. Even the police didn't know. Prodigious, eh?"**

**Ralph nodded in approval.**

"**Any specific date?" he asked.**

"**Do terrorist threats ever give a specific date?" Cid asked sarcastically.**

"**I guess not. But it doesn't matter."**

**Ralph patted Cid on the back left out the door.**

"**The security's so high, it's like a freakin' fortress!" Ralph declared. "It's impossible for an assassin to sneak in. I'm sure the ol' governor'll be safe for tonight. Rest in peace."**

**The bathroom entrance shut almost soundlessly. Cid shook of all the doubts and entered one of the stalls. While doing finishing his "business", of all the chances in the world, President Shinra Sr. came walking into the bathroom with his son, Vice-President Rufus Shinra, and Rude. They thoroughly washed their hands together, and afterwards, Shinra Sr. cleaned the dust off of his reading glasses.**

"**Have all of the arrangements been made?" Shinra Sr. asked.**

"**Hook, line, and sinker," Rufus replied confidently. "It can't go wrong."**

**The reading glasses snapped back into its case. **

"**How do you think he's taking the transition?" Shinra Sr. inquired.**

"**A little stubborn," Rufus answered, "but he's fine. Children don't do well with moving. It'll settle in a month or too. You'll see…"**

"**He's not a child," his father corrected. "He's a product."**

**Rufus found no sense in arguing and kept his mouth shut. They left as quickly as they came while Shinra Sr. left parting words to the bathroom:**

"**I sure hope the governor enjoys this party…because it's going to be his last."**

**The bathroom was quiet again, save for Cid opening the stall door, shocked and completely horrified.**

**----------**

**The ballroom was filled to the top with the rich, the well-off, and the news reporters with their camera men. The governor himself stepped up onto the podium and gave his speech. Cid discreetly slipped through the doors of the ballroom and hurried over to his companion. He stayed silent, until the governor finished his speech and the room was well filled with the applause.**

"**It's tonight," Cid said firmly. "I can feel it in my gut…then again, I could just be paranoid."**

"**What was that?" Ralph asked.**

**Cid lied and said that it was nothing. **

**The lights abruptly went out, and the governor made the announcement that everyone was waiting for. A pink, spotlight special shone a pretty, young girl while she was nibbling away on some fruit on her plate.**

"**I would like to introduce to all of you my lovely fiancée, Catherine," the governor said with pride. The lights turned back on, and he beckoned her to come on stage with him.**

**Cid eyed her soft, alabaster white skin with her ebony hair. Then he examined the governor, with his thick, toughened skin and hard eyes. He found himself shaking his head in shame. He lifted up his camera and snapped away.**

**----------**

"**Hey, dad?"**

**Rufus Shinra faced his daughter while the governor introduced his future wife to the party-goers.**

"**Yes, Tifa?"**

"**Don't you think she's too cute to marry him?" Tifa asked. "He looks like he could be part of the Mafia or something."**

"**Don't judge," Shinra scolded.**

**Tifa felt the strap of her dress slip, and she pulled it back up in annoyance.**

"**Dad?"**

"**Yes?"**

"**Can I have some of your champagne?"**

"**NO!"**

**Seventeen-year-old Tifa pouted.**

**----------**

**The room had calmed down, a half-hour later, and everyone mingled with ease. Everyone except a certain detective. Cid kept staring nervously at the political couple and eventually drew out a cigarette to calm down.**

"_**Ralph did say that this place was guarded like a fortress," Cid thought.**_

**He found that fact to be true. Bodyguards outside the room. Bodyguards at the door. Bodyguards at the window, the stage, and even around Catherine and her powerful beau.**

"_**I know I sound paranoid after hearing that news report…maybe they meant something else. A bachelor's joke! Yeah! A bachelor's joke…once yer married, the party's over…"**_

**The governor held his fiancée's hand and kissed it tenderly. **

"_**But what if I'm not paranoid?" Cid continued thinking. "What if they were the guys who sent that threat? Even if that was true, I never saw their faces…so it's hopeless. Damn hopeless!"**_

**Cid snapped a picture of the tender moment for the newspaper.**

"_**Even if I'm dead right, what can I do about it? I'm just a two-bit sleuth paying the rent. Even if there was an assassin, and he was somewhere in the halls right now, I can't do jack. I wouldn't know what he'd look like or what to do when I found him. And who'd believe me if I said anything about it?"**_

**A man stepped onto the stage and adjusted the microphone.**

"_**Why am I getting all worked about this anyhow? It's not like this has anything to do with me…"**_

**A breeze blew through the room, causing the flow of his cigarette smoke to get disrupted. He noticed and realized that none of the windows were supposed to be opened. He turned his head and saw the balcony part of the room. The window swung closed, and terror went up Cid's spine.**

"**Let's give it up for our governor one more time!" the announcer said over the speaker.**

**The crowd clapped and Cid turned to see the governor walking up onto the stage with only one bodyguard. Panic overtook him. Out of the corner of his eye, Cid saw something jump from the balcony and land behind the crowd, unnoticed by all. Barely a second later, someone rushed past him with inhuman speed; the stage was undeniably in this someone's path! Cid felt himself run forward, closer to the stage, and he saw a black streak of a person, trailing through the crowd with ease. No one was noticing, and that made Cid panic all the more. All he could do was watch.**

**Tifa, however, felt a small gust of wind as the person ran past her, but she saw no one.**

**A bodyguard stood attentively behind the governor, occasionally glancing from side to side. Suddenly, the bodyguard felt the terrific crack of a gun against the back of his head and he fell to the floor of the stage. The governor felt a gun against his back and gasped. He let his eye travel back, to catch a glimpse of the person who know stood behind him. And it was the last thing he saw. The gun went off, and the whole room was left silent, wondering what had happened. Catherine, the fiancée, leaned forward, also confused, and saw the hole the governor's chest. As he fell, her hands traveled to her cheeks…and she screamed.**

**----------**

**The aftermath of the assassination could be heard from outside. The killer walked away from the hotel through its outside garden, a small forest. He stopped, sensing that someone was nearby.**

"**Why are you following me?" asked the killer. "Aren't you afraid?"**

"**You're just a kid, aren't you?"**

**The killer turned to face Cid McPherson the detective. Cid took a good look and found that the killer indeed was a child, probably in his late teens. The boy, in Cid's opinion, was badly dressed, wearing tight pants, a men's blouse, and a long, black overcoat. And the boy's hair was spiky as all get up. Either the boy used a very strong gel or his hair really grew like that. Out of his deep, paternal instincts, Cid hoped that it wasn't the latter.**

"**Yeah, I'm sixteen," the killer answered. "What about it?"**

**Cid reached into his pockets for handcuffs. He made sure that his gun was accessible too.**

"**Don't tell me that you're gonna try to arrest me," the killer teased.**

"**Damn straight I am!" Cid replied.**

"**Too bad," the killer replied. "I am an authorized assassin. You don't have the right do that."**

**Cid growled and let the handcuffs go. "Is that the truth."**

**The killer pulled a document out of his jacket pocket and confirmed it.**

"**Sincerely." **

"**And are you gonna try and kill me too?"**

"**No point in doing so."**

"**And the governor's death gets you fed?" Cid asked bitterly.**

**The young killer looked toward the hotel building. "I don't always do things because I want to."**

**Cid softened the angry expression on his face.**

"**I don't understand why someone would want another person to die," the killer said solemnly. "I never did and I never will."**

**Cid went from angry to confused. The same person who ruthlessly gunned down a man in one moment…was showing regret in the next?**

"**Get down,****" the killer suddenly muttered.**

"**Huh?"**

**Cid heard a clicking sound fill the air, getting louder and louder. Machine gunfire flew towards them. Cid immediately understood and let himself fall to the dirt. The killer dodged and ran from the fire and it pummeled mercilessly into some trees. It stopped, and the killer peered over his shoulder and recognized the thrower: the bodyguard who was standing behind the governor before he died.**

"**You scum!" the bodyguard cursed. "You killed the governor! Now it's your turn!"**

**Cid ran behind the trees when the gunfire started again. The killer ducked and dodged before running, trying to escape the vengeful man. The bodyguard quickly recovered and ran after the young assassin, yelling indecent curses that I, the author, will not write in this tale. Cid stood up and cautiously followed behind. Then he heard the sound of a different, individual gunshot followed by a loud grunt. By the time he found the source of the noise, the bodyguard lay dead, a bullet wound between the eyes. The young assassin was running, too far to catch up to. Not that it stopped Cid from trying. He ran as fast as his legs could carry him and ended up at the end of the trees, in front of a gate. The boy was nowhere in sight. Cid sighed in defeat and took out another cigarette because he had lost his last one in the confusion.**

**----------**

**Inside the ballroom, Catherine held the dead governor in her arms. Tears streamed down her face, and her tiny body gave out uncontrollable sobs.**

* * *

Review on your way to the next chapter. 


	23. Can You Love and Want To Kill Him Too?

Drum roll please...

* * *

**Back to present…**

Cloud opened his eyes but felt more tired than before. He felt another hand in his and shifted his head. Tifa had her face buried in the sheets, her right arm stretched out so he could reach her in his sleep. Affectionately, Cloud ran his fingers through her hair and let go her hand. He saw the strange, cup shaped device that Tifa had brought in, sitting on his nightstand and wondered why it was there.

Tifa stirred and woke up from her nap.

"Is your nightmare over?"

"No nightmares," Cloud replied. "Just memories."

"Bad ones?" Tifa inquired.

"Yeah."

Tifa sat down on the side of the bed and reached out to the lamp. Cloud blocked her hand, not in the mood for light. The light coming from the window was enough.

"Is something wrong?" Tifa asked.

"There's something I want to show you. The Madame gave it to me before we I left the estate."

Cloud reached underneath his pillow and pulled out a beautiful, silver Desert Eagle pistol. Tifa marveled at it, and Cloud held it out for her to touch. The light from the window made it shine so radiantly that Tifa forgot how potentially dangerous it could be. She took it from his hand and turned it over. The side was monogrammed with the Roman numerals: III.

"Nice," she whispered. "Where'd ya get it?"

"It was gift from the Madame on my thirteenth birthday. I used to use it all the time."

"It's a wonderful gun."

"That depends on your point of view. This gun holds many memories for me."

Tifa sensed the tenseness in his voice and regretted the possible ignorance of her words.

"I've used this gun…along with its twin…I've used it to kill many people."

"I've killed a lot of people too," Tifa reminded. "Disturbing as it is."

Tifa handed back the pistol and Cloud examined it with dread.

"Do you know about the assassination of the California governor ten years ago?" Cloud asked.

"Unfortunately, yes," Tifa replied. "I was there."

Cloud gave her a stunned look.

"Y-you were?"

"Yup…fathe…I mean…Shinra took me with him to the governor's engagement party with his father. Can't recall why he was invited. I don't know how the killer got onto the stage unnoticed, but whoever they were, they did a hell of a job."

Cloud dropped his head and gritted his teeth in frustration.

"Did I say something wrong?" Tifa asked.

"What would say if I told you that this was the very gun that I used to kill him?"

Cloud watched her eyes widen as she almost forgot to breathe. He slipped the gun back underneath the pillow.

"That's impossible," Tifa argued. "I was 17 then. You'd have been…"

"Sixteen," Cloud finished. "Didn't Shinra tell you that I became a full-fledged assassin at 15. He wasn't joking."

Tifa turned away, remembering the truth.

"I was ordered to do it by the then-President Shinra Sr. Every time I think about that night, I can't help but curse myself for some reason. Maybe it was because I made his then-fiancée miserable for such a long time. Or maybe it was because I crossed paths with Cid that night…and got him into this mess. He used to be a detective by the way. Did he ever tell you that?"

Tifa shook her head. Cloud sighed said nothing; instead, he stared at the ceiling.

"What's that?" Tifa asked, changing the subject.

"What's what?"

Tifa pointed to the strange device she had carried in.

"It's a Perfect Teamaker… from Teavana. You boil the water in pot and put the tea leaves and into the cup. Then, you pour the water over the leaves and let it steep for as long as it needs. When it's done, the bottom of the device has a hole that opens when you press on it. Just set it on a mug, and it'll pour out."

"That sounds easy," Tifa said.

"Hence the name 'Perfect Teamaker'," Cloud responded. "Why are you changing the subject?"

"I thought you would've wanted to."

Cloud reached up and touched her shoulder: a semblance of a thank you. Then he grabbed her arm and tugged her down into an embrace.

"What are you doing?" Tifa asked.

"I wanted to hold you," Cloud answered.

"Well, cut it out," Tifa answered curtly.

"I can't help myself. You're just so beautiful."

"What kind of excuse is that?"

Cloud chuckled and delighted in not answering. Tifa submitted and relaxed her body against his.

"Why didn't you tell me you were allergic to anything soy?" Tifa asked. "I feel like I poisoned you."

"I didn't remember," Cloud responded. "Now I know why Cid was so particular about what I ate for the past five years. What else am I allergic too?"

"I'm allergic to walnuts and berries," Tifa said empathetically. "That's why I avoid some teas in the Teavana shop. My tongue and lips swell right up…**and **I get a rash on my neck."

Cloud laughed at the thought of it.

"I'm serious!" Tifa went on. "My lips go proportionate to my boobs! It's awful…All you get are vomiting spells."

"Not usually," Cloud replied. "As I remember more clearly now, if I eat enough soy, theoretically, if I ate that whole cookie, I can get vomiting spells, a _lovely_, 24-hr fever…and my tongue will swell up. I'm feeling a little itch in my tongue right now…just from eating those three bites."

"When did you find this out?" Tifa questioned.

"I think I was twelve or thirteen…I thought I was going to die."

"Aaaaaaah…poor baby," Tifa cooed. "I'm sorry. This is my fault. Forgive me?"

"Give me a kiss and I'll think about it," Cloud teased.

"Fat chance, 'vomit breathe'," Tifa retorted. "Speaking of vomit…are you hungry again?"

"Yes, I am."

Tifa sighed and pulled him closer, somehow understanding that he was still not 100 percent.

"About the explanation," Cloud reminded.

"What about it?"

Cloud paused for a minute, predicting the outcome. Tifa pinched him on the arm.

"What about it?"

"About it…well, Miss Lockhart…I don't intend …on telling you anything more…I can't."

Tifa stared at him in astonishment. Then her expression became unreadable, and she kept her face out of her sight.

"My reasons…aren't just because it's some bloody, secret, worldwide conspiracy…or some family scandal…this whole situation has a lot to do with my past too. If I told you what was going on…I would have to tell you everything. That story I told you…that was abridged version of what happened. The full one? The things that happened in between? The details? You don't wanna know…and I don't even remember the whole thing yet."

"Look…you don't have too…"

"I'm going to change, Tifa."

Tifa stayed quiet.

"I'm going to change. My mind is becoming less and less cloudy…but the more clearly I see…the more I want to forget. I can't stop it though; I can't forget. I need to remember. Who knows what'll happen a month from now…or even just a week or two. I might angry more often…I might not tease you as much…or smile as much…sleeping could become a problem. I may even drink more often…or pick up old habits that I don't even remember. Whatever is going to happen, I will change…and some of those changes will be permanent…and I can already tell that things are going to get ugly…"

"If that was the case," Tifa interrupted, "Then why didn't you just say so?"

She smiled. He was relieved.

"Wanna hear something funny?" Tifa asked. "You're the only real friend I've got now."

"So that means you like me?"

"Unnnngh…yes, Cloud-sensei…I do like you…"

"Glad to hear it…but there's one problem…that's not my real name."

Tifa breathed out deeply and rolled her eyes. "Of course it's not…sensei is not part of anyone's real name…"

"That's not what I meant," Cloud said quietly.

"Then what did you mean?"

"Nevermind. It …doesn't matter anymore."

----------

"Madame…did Nicoli come back?"

That was the first thing Marlene asked her grandmother, who was fresh off her meeting.

"And why do you want to know that?" asked Madame Luciano.

"I've been wanting to ask him a question," Marlene answered back. "Is that okay?"

The Madame grinned in curiosity and leaned towards her from the chair.

"And what might that be?"

Marlene squealed, abashed and swallowed. "Can I whisper it in your ear…it's kinda weird."

The Madame nodded her head in permission. Marlene came closer, cupped her hands over her grandmother's ear, and gave her clandestine message.

----------

"You put good scoops of the Rooibos Sweet Amoré in the 'teamaker', right? And scoops of Jasmine Dragon Phoenix Pearls?"

"Yes, Cloud-sensei," Tifa droned.

"Don't use that tone with me!"

Cloud looked over her shoulder and into the cup device. Tifa turned her head and dazzled him with a wolfish, amused smile.

"Do I put the honey in this thing now, or do I add my own honey when the tea's done."

"I'd recommend the latter."

Tifa leaned over the stove and carefully picked up the scalding pot of water. Gently, she poured it in, nearly to prim.

"Everything is done for a reason," Tifa asserted. "Why did you really invite me to come?"

"Because we haven't had any alone time for awhile."

Tifa let his hand go and stepped back. "You wanted to get me alone?"

"Not in _that_ way, if that's what you mean."

Tifa crossed her arms and her back towards him. Her head bobbed down, and she took few steps forward as she laughed, keeping her thoughts to herself.

"Do you know how awkward it is?" Tifa asked.

"I'd know if you told me what 'it' is," Cloud retorted.

Tifa looked over her shoulder and frowned. She held up her hand and showed him the ring he had given her that day. He immediately understood and rubbed the back of his head.

"Right," he replied. "The 'engagement'."

"And the make-out," Tifa reminded. "But it really doesn't matter though. We're adults, right?"

"Right…adults."

"Healthy adults," Tifa added.

Cloud uhuh'd in agreement. Tifa turned around in again with a confident smile.

"Friends!" she said cheerfully.

"Friends!" he repeated in the same manner.

Tifa took a small step forward. Cloud did the same.

"Companions," she added.

"Comrades!"

More small steps.

"Homies!"

"Chums!"

"Buddies!"

"Cronies!"

For a moment and barely a foot apart, they stared at each other with stiff smiles. Finally and inevitably, they both caved, Tifa more so than Cloud, and started kissing passionately, hands all over each other.

----------

"Don't call him!" Lucy commanded.

This she said to her brother, Sephiroth, while she instructed a confused Jessie Lee through an experiment.

"But why?" Sephiroth whined. "I wanna know if he's laid her yet!"

Jessie blushed insanely and Lucy threw a pen at him.

"Pervert!" she yelled. "Is that all you ever think about?"

"I'm a man," Sephiroth defended. "Can I or can't I like women? Can I not think about it for some of the time?"

Lucy rubbed her forehead and sighed heavily.

"Imagine this scenario," Lucy suggested. "You call him. You interrupt them from their business, if any. You ruin the moment. The next day, Cloud comes back pissed and kicks your butt."

Sephiroth remembered how hard Cloud could through a punch.

"Maybe I'll call him in the morning."

"That's a good boy."

----------

In all the years of her life, this was probably the longest, riskiest make-out she had ever had. Why it was long was self-explanatory. Why it was risky was for several reasons. One, she probably had a hickey by now. Two, she had never let anyone touch her breast before. Three…oh, nevermind.

Tifa lightly pushed Cloud off when a curious idea popped into her head.

"What's wrong?" Cloud whispered.

"Do you like cherries?" Tifa asked spontaneously.

"I'll have a mouth full of them when they come in season," Cloud responded.

"I thought so."

Tifa pulled him back down and continued kissing him. Again, he traveled from her lips and trailed down her neck. She shuddered, still not used to the sensation, and relaxed again. Just as she was getting accustomed to the treatment, Cloud slid off of her as if the penthouse had caught on fire.

"Huh?"

"Crap!" Cloud muttered.

In mere seconds, Cloud was off the bed and out of the room heading for an unknown destination. Tifa sat up, confused, upset, and definitely annoyed. She let herself fall face first into a pillow. She shrieked angrily, muffled by the pillow, and punched the bed.

"Shall I leave you and the pillow alone?"

Tifa stopped and raised her head to smell the sensational blended tea. She was up like a shot. She stood and greedily snatched her tea cup from his hands and drank.

"It's unsweetened," Cloud warned.

"I like to drink it up straight," Tifa replied brazenly.

She bent down, roughly set the mug down, and pounced on him. Four pairs of legs went flying through the air and landed on the bed again.

"Cloud…I can call you that right now, right?"

"It seems pretty plausible right now."

"Gooood…Cloud…I like you."

Tifa began to smother the side of his face with kisses.

"You've already told me that."

Tifa gave him scowl that read "shut up". She gently slid her hand up his shirt and nuzzled his hair.

"No…I mean ...I _**really ** like you…"_

"No."

Cloud lightly nudged her away and rolled onto his side, his back towards her.

"What?!" Tifa cried in frustration.

"I sincerely hope that you're not trying to get something without giving something back, Miss Lockhart…"

"You were feeling me up a few minutes ago!" Tifa yelled. "And you practically had your tongue down my throat! Don't you think we're a little past the 'Miss Lockhart' bit?!"

"There are distinct reasons why I stopped sleeping around…" Cloud began frankly.

Tifa sat up with a look of disgust on her face.

"Ewww! Who said that was my intentions?"

"As I said," Cloud interrupted. "I used to sleep around. I know the various scenarios. I know the signs of when and when it's not going to happen. 'Hand-under-the-shirt-action' is one of the many signs that it's going to happen. It doesn't have to be intentional."

Tifa's mood was officially soured.

"What did you mean by 'trying to get something without giving something back'?" Tifa asked.

"It's a small pact that I made with Marlene," Cloud explained. "When she was ten, she found out about my…ehem… 'adventures'…After a long heartfelt chat, including a dozen slaps, I promised her that the next time I did it…I'd have to marry the woman too."

Tifa let out a fake laugh.

"I wasn't trying to…"

"You don't have to try," Cloud answered. "A lot of times, it's spontaneous combustion."

Tifa faked another laugh.

"Whatever," she grumbled bitterly. "Even if you're right, marrying you would be God's practical joke on me."

Cloud rolled onto his back again and folded his arms behind his head.

"Really?" Cloud replied innocently. "That's too bad. For a moment there, I thought I we were really gonna…

"Cloud, you have to be on 'crack' or something because you're not making any sense. Are you sure you're still not sick?"

"See."

"See what?!" Tifa shouted, grasping his head in both of her hands and bringing it close to her face.

"Do you love me?"

Leave it to Cloud to ask life's hardest questions.

"What?"

"I said," Cloud kept his face serious, using his strong hands to pry hers away from his face, "Do you love me?"

"You are definitely on crack…"

"It's yes or no, Miss Lockhart. It's simple. Either you do or you don't."

"W-What the hell brought this on?" Tifa asked.

"Nothing in particular."

So sincere and yet so impossible. Tifa wanted to strangle him…again.

"What do you want me to say?" Tifa asked.

"That you love me."

"And if it's a lie?"

"Don't worry. I know it's not."

"Do you hear some of the crap that comes out of your mouth?"

Cloud gave her his signature smile and stared at the ceiling. Completely and utterly defeated, once again, Tifa moaned and hit herself on the forehead. She lay there, beside him for, for a long time, without saying a word. After what seemed like an eternity, she nodded to herself and smiled, hating herself at the same time. Tifa whispered something and shifted on the bed, turning away from him. He raised his eyebrow and scooted a few inches closer.

"What did you say?"

Again, she said something he couldn't hear so he went closer still, until her was right against her back. He embraced her from behind; his head peaked over her shoulder and rested on her cheek as he glanced down with a curious expression.

"What'd you say, Miss Lockhart?"

"I SAID 'I LOVE YOU'! AND IF YOU EVER CALL ME 'MISS LOCKHART' AGAIN, I'LL BREAK YOUR FACE!"

"That's all I ask."

* * *

It's 12:54 now...goodnight peoples... and review on your way out... 


	24. Redefining the Past: Valentine

Sorry everybody...

I'm attending boarding school in California that focuses mostly on the arts (Visual Arts, Orchestra, Creative Writing, etc.), and I've been busy as hell. I managed to write this during the past week in my free time...

* * *

Back to the past...

"**What do you means 'he's escaped'?!"**

**Secretary Gertrude Hopkins stepped back from her president's outburst and sighed.**

"**It's just as I've said," Hopkins began again. "He never showed at the rendezvous point last night…"**

"**So why am I hearing this right now?!"**

**Hopkins calmly put the report on his desk and scratched.**

"**There was an 'unexplained' delay in the information," she explained. "Otherwise, we would have started searching for him hours ago…"**

**Shinra Sr, sat back in his chair and began to breathe heavily. Running this certain company was not good for someone his age. Hopkins turned around, walked over to a window just across from the desk, and opened to let some sunshine in.**

"**Well, I can say that he sure keeps us on our toes," Hopkins chirped jokingly.**

"**When you meant 'unexplained' did you mean interference from another organization?"**

**Hopkins calmly shook her head and replied, "Nah…I just think Cloud just did a few tricks to stall us…we'll find him…this isn't the first time he's tried to take off."**

"**And it's the last time we have to drag him back by his legs! When we get him back, make a mental note to tighten the security around him…again…"**

**Gertrude Hopkins smirked and tried not to laugh.**

"**I'm sorely thinking about setting him up with a shock collar," Shinra Sr. mused.**

"**That's degrading!" Hopkins cried.**

"**It's payback," Shinra Sr. argued. "I feel degraded myself. Every single time he pulls a stunt like this, the company laughs about me behind my back. It's almost as if he completely butchers any possible way I have of effectively governing our organization!"**

"**He makes you look like an ass, that's what he does."**

**Shinra Sr. gave Hopkins a nasty look. She took it as her queue to leave.**

"**I already sent a **_**large**_**search party into the city…we'll catch him in a day or two."**

**As Hopkins shut the door behind her, she shook her head and groaned.**

"**Why do I get the feeling that tightening the security won't work?"**

**---------**

**The old pawnshop keeper examined the old pocket watch behind the counter, checking for scratches or possible blemishes. He hummed a tune, taking his sweet time, and Cid waited impatiently. **

"**I guess it's okay," the old man finally said. "I just need to replace the glass though. Freshen it up a little."**

**The shopkeeper tucked the new addition into his large pocket and wearily dragged himself on top of his stool. **

"**Okay, then…what do you want to know this time…Mr. Detective?"**

"**You heard about the assassination Governor Thomas last night?"**

"**Yeah…did they catch the bastard who did it?"**

**Cid shook his head gravely. **

"**Ah, the world goes on. Anyway, what about it."**

"**Do you know of any organizations that employs children?" Cid asked.**

"**What that does that have to do with anything?"**

"**I mean an organization of assassins…hit man…killers…come on…you are in the information business, right?"**

**The old man rubbed his head and looked to a computer on the counter. He hit a special key and the computer switched to a different.**

"**You're asking me to find a snake in a grass field," the old man replied. "Almost every organization that deals with **_**that**_**sort of thing employs children all the time. It's a known practice."**

**He typed a large phrase into the computer and clicked on file after file.**

"**Are you saying the governor was killed by a kid?"**

"**Just give me the info!" Cid snapped.**

**The old shopkeeper shrugged and browsed a file. He nodded and signaled for the detective to join him behind the counter.**

"**Here we go…every organization that's recruited minors in the past three years…"**

"**Holy !" Cid yelled. "Over 300!"**

"**Like finding a snake in a grass field," the old man reminded.**

"**Does the list include criminals? If so, take it off…"**

**The old man shook his head wisely. "Government organizations sometimes hire criminals to do their dirty work…government isn't enough…"**

**Cid rubbed his face and moaned. A road with too many paths: the equivalent of a dead end…**

"**You want your pocket watch back?" the old man asked politely.**

**---------**

**It was a long walk through the streets of San Francisco. A cable car interrupted Cid's thoughts and went on its way down the road. The sun was out in its entire splendor in the late summertime. In less than a month, the streets would be emptier, with the help of school time. Either way, it was fine for Cid. Crowd or no crowd, he could think really well during a walk.**

**He walked past a building with cements steps leading to the door. On the steps, a beautiful teenage girl sat alone, flanked by a large suitcase and a cello case. Naturally, it was a peculiar site to a normal passerby. There she was, a pretty, thin, blonde girl, wearing a nice polo shirt and plaid skirt, who looked like she was already prepared to go south for the winter. Even stranger, she seemed to be watching Cid intentionally. Cid turned away and walked faster, shaking his head. Several steps later, he heard the steps of someone running towards him. A moment later, he felt someone's presence beside him and looked. The teenage girl was closely at his side, handling her cumbersome load rather well.**

"**Hi!" she said cheerfully, as if they were old friends.**

"**Uh, hi?"**

**In an abrupt motion, the girl shoved the brief case handle into Cid's hand and hugged his left arm before he could say another word.**

"**What the hell are you…?"**

"**Pretend I'm your little sister," the girl commanded. **

"**WHAT?!"**

**The girl squeezed his arm tight until he whimpered in pain. **

"**I am your little sister," the girl demanded in a calm tone. "Unless you want to get killed by those guys who have been tailing you all morning…"**

**Cid briefly looked behind him and saw two men in black suits.**

"**Absolutely no subtlety, eh?" the girl asked.**

"**And you are?" Cid asked.**

"**Your little sister," she replied cheerfully. "Let's catch a bus, big brother!"**

**------------------**

**As she walked down the hall, Gertrude Hopkins heard someone speak from her radio and quickly unclipped it from her skirt.**

"**Yes?" she answered.**

**She listened carefully and did not like what she heard. She and the speaker on the other end parted ways again, and she cursed under her breath. Walking turned into running, and she loudly opened a door, leading to interrupted meeting. President Shinra Sr. and his associates raised their heads from their papers and looked up.**

"**We've lost him!" Hopkins exclaimed.**

"**Lost what?" asked one of the associates.**

**The president felt a headache coming on.**

**---------**

**A bus ride and few blocks later, Cid found himself in a place he hated: the Fisherman's Pier. It was too noisy there, especially in the summer, and snot-nosed kids ran everywhere. His new "companion" dragged him forward into the chaos.**

"**Why are we here?" Cid asked in a cross mood.**

"**So we'll be hard to find…"**

**Cid heard a terrifying, growling noise over the noise. The girl rubbed her stomach and pouted. A diner caught her eye. Cid had had a feeling that his wallet would soon be in a pinch, but he didn't know why.**

**And in a mere half an hour, he found out why...after she polished off a mountainous deli tuna sandwich.**

"**You know, you sure can eat."**

"**You think so?"**

**The girl mercilessly finished of the tuna sandwich, and Cid watched in amazement. The french-fries were up next for the slaughter.**

"**Will you please tell me who you are?" Cid begged.**

"**Nicoli," the girl answered. "Nicoli di Luciano."**

"**That sounds Italian. Your accent's clearly English."**

"**Actually, I'm British South African…well, at least half British South African…the rest of me is Sicilian."**

**What an interesting mix. Cid took a swig of beer.**

"**And you are Detective Cid McPherson," the girl declared.**

**Cid spat the swig out.**

"**How did you know that?!"**

"**I researched the police directory early this morning. You spat Budd-lite all over the floor, you know."**

**Cid looked down and saw that this was true. He grabbed a several napkins and sopped up the mess. While his head was turned, the girl stole some fries from his plate and added it to her own. Cid sat down again, and she smiled innocently.**

"**So…why did you go through so much trouble to find me, Nicki?" Cid asked.**

"**Don't call me Nicki," the girl complained.**

"**A shorter name than?"**

"**I don't give my given name to people I don't know very well," she replied. "No offense. Just call me Valentine…or Val…which ever you want."**

**Cid raised an eyebrow. Valentine mouthed a plea on her lips, and he gave in.**

"**Okay…why did you go through so much trouble to find me, Val?"**

**Valentine had begun munching on the french-fries again, forcing Cid to wait it out. He took the opportunity to get a better look at her. She appeared to be a rather sophisticated girl, classier and well groomed than him. Her skirt looked more expensive his apartment … though it was a little too short for his liking.**

"**Because you saw too much last night," she answered finally.**

"**What are you talking about?"**

"**That big assassination last night…you saw way too much…you have absolutely no idea how many people want to kill you right now."**

**Cid went into a defensive mode and leaned back, away from Valentine.**

"**Why is a kid like you concerning yourself with something like that? And how do you know I was even around?"**

"**We were both at that party, Cid…stop playing dumb…"**

"**Were you involved?" Cid asked sternly.**

**Valentine nodded and started munching again. **

"**How can you still eat?" Cid snarled.**

"**He was a criminal," Valentine argued. "And he didn't just sell arms…like the authorities accused him of." **

"**But that's no excuse to just…"**

"**I know," Valentine replied woefully. "But it wasn't like I had a choice."**

"**And I still don't know why you wanted to find me…if your people really wanted to kill me so bad…why would you even want me around?"**

"**I need to make a call," Valentine replied. "Fast."**

"**What?"**

**Valentine frowned.**

"**I have to call my family…I need to use your house phone."**

"**Are you nuts?" Cid asked.**

"**All of the phone lines…from where I came from…they're tapped. I can't call them without listened to. I need to be in a closed off area... besides, I ran away…and I can't get caught this time…"**

**---------**

**Madame Jenova di Luciano woke up to the ringing of her bedroom phone in the wee hours of the morning. She muttered a few curses and picked up the phone, answering in Italian. The speaker answered in Italian as well, in an angry tone.**

"**Il mio caro?" she replied. "What is the matter? And why so late?"**

**The speaker went off into an angry rant in flurry of fluent Italian. There was no more sleep tonight for the Madame.**

**---------**

**Personally, Cid could not believe that he had let this strange girl talk him into letting her use his phone…let alone spend the night in his apartment. He also couldn't believe that she was yelling fluently in a language he couldn't understand at all. It made him feel ignorant and uneducated. To add more salt to the wound, she was speaking very quickly as if it were English. There she was, pacing back and forth in the living room with the wireless house phone between her shoulder and ear. She barely breathed during her sentences too.**

**Suddenly, Valentine stopped talking and listened. She nodded and hummed before a smile appeared on her face. She threw her fist up in the air.**

"**YES!****Grazie…Ti amo…Addio!****"**

**Valentine hung up the phone and gave Cid a victory sign.**

"**So?"**

"**My cousins are flying down here on the first available flight…everything should be fine after that."**

**And Cid was pleased.**

"**Good…now I want you to fill your end of the bargain. We had a deal right?"**

"**Can I take a shower first," Valentine asked.**

**Cid shrugged and nodded. "The bathroom's the second door down the hall."**

"**Thank you."**

**Before she left the living room, Cid remembered something and called her back.**

"**What kind of crap have I gotten into?" Cid asked. **

"**Deep crap," Valentine answered. "Deep, deep crap."**

**She went to leave but stopped and turned her head.**

"**By the way…if you don't want to get into deeper trouble…I suggest that you don't start rummaging into my stuff. I saw you eyeing it earlier. I thought you should know that."**

**In a few seconds, the bathroom door was shut, and Cid was left alone again.**

**--------**

**Let us now take a short break into the present…**

"Hello, Cloud? Earth to Cloud…"

Cloud finally snapped out of it and was forced back into reality…and its surroundings.

"Did you pass out?" Tifa whispered tiredly.

Cloud shook his head. Tifa rolled onto her side and hugged him close, savoring the closeness…and the bare skin.

"You do realize that that was my first time?"

"That fact did occur to me…"

"So I hope you weren't counting on much."

"Nope…I sure wasn't…"

Tifa looked him in the eye and scowled. "You're joking, right?"

"Yes I am."

Tifa burrowed her face into his chest and groaned.

"Sorry," Cloud whispered. "I shouldn't tease about something like that."

"No…it's not that…I just feel so tired…damn…I feel so tired. What about you?"

Cloud didn't answer for a moment. Tifa showed her face again and tried to see the expression on his face. It looked like he was putting deep thought into the question.

"I…"

Tifa perked up her ears.

"I…"

"Yeah, what?" Tifa prodded.

A smile appeared on his face.

"I…I'm…I'm starving…"

Tifa burst out laughing.

* * *

Okay...I'll try to update again...maybe before break...maybe during break... 


	25. Redefining the Past: Question Revisited

I managed to squeeze in an update...

* * *

"Do you have two stomachs?" 

Cloud was busy eating yet another meal to replace the lost one. It was a ridiculous to question to ask, or so Tifa thought. She silently prayed to God that he wouldn't answer. She lounged on her side, under the sheets, watching him eat.

"That's the third time you have asked me that question," Cloud answered.

"I don't remember asking you that before," Tifa argued.

Cloud stopped eating and grinned that ever-annoying signature smile. "You still don't recognize me…do you, Tifa?"

"Uh?"

Tifa sat up and pulled the sheets up to cover herself.

"What are you spouting?"

Eating would have to wait till later. Cloud sat up as well and looked into space, as if he were in trance. Tifa leaned closer.

"Cloud?"

"I remember a poor, lost, orphaned, London girl," Cloud replied dreamily. "She was bloody lonely too…"

Her eyes widened.

"She was sitting all by herself on the steps, and it was really cold. I just had to give her my jacket."

Cloud heard a sob and saw that Tifa was starting to cry, her head lowered. He reached over to comfort her, but her head shot up with an angry glare. And once again, Cloud was in for it.

"Why the hell didn't you tell me so in the first place!" she shouted.

"I…"

"I really wanted to see you again after that!" she continued. "You saved my life! I could've freezed to death out there. Or worse, starved!"

Cloud looked away with a sad expression on his face. Tifa calmed down and regretted her harshness.

"You didn't remember until now," Tifa whispered in realization.

"I'm sorry," Cloud replied.

"Don't be. It's not your…"

"You don't know that."

"You didn't forget on purpose."

"You don't know that either."

Tifa opened her mouth shock.

"I may have taken the poison willingly."

"How could you say that? **You** don't know that either."

Cloud smiled and nodded. Tifa removed the tray from between them and placed it on the floor. She scooted closer and wrapped her arms around him.

"Did your memories suggest it?" Tifa asked.

"No…just a feeling…"

Tifa took deep breaths. Her chest brushed up against on his, and his breath hitched.

"When was the first time I asked if you had two stomachs?"

Cloud whispered mischievously in her ear. "Remember Okinawa, Japan?"

This was going to a long night.

---------

**And now, back to the past…**

**After going without a shower for three days, Valentine was able to relax. The hot was nice, therapeutic, and soothing, blotting out some of the worries that she keep hidden in her mind. Val hoped that Cid wouldn't mind having a slightly bigger water bill this month.**

"_**So you escaped all on your own… I am thoroughly impressed!"**_

**The voice startled Val, and she turned off the shower.**

"**Why are you still talking to me?" Val asked aloud.**

"_**It's not like I can leave," the voice replied. "I am a part of your mind after all."**_

**The voice chuckled malevolently.**

"_**But don't let me stop you…go on…turn the shower back on…it was so relaxing!"**_

**Valentine reluctantly turned the shower back on and continued.**

"**I wish you'd just leave me the bloody hell alone," Val muttered.**

"_**Oooo!" the voice cooed. "You don't like me? Why don't you like me?"**_

**Val raised her head against the water and let it slide all over her face.**

"**Because you're downright evil."**

"_**Heheheheh… Quite correct! In fact, I'm so evil, I'll say this! If you tell Mr. Detective too much, I'll take your mind and kill him! Isn't it lovely?"**_

"**Shut up!"**

**----------**

**Cid sneezed over a bottle Heineken on the coffee table. He didn't believe in that old Japanese superstition, but there was room to be slightly paranoid. He grabbed the bottle anxiously, leaned back, and tilted the bottle up. What a night…**

"**So you drink and smoke…that's quite the combination."**

**Cid nearly choked on the poison and saw that Valentine was finished with her shower. Unfortunately, her attire made him feel more uncomfortable: an oversized tee-shirt with probably nothing else.**

"**How can you dress like that in front of a guy?" Cid asked.**

"**Relax," Val replied. Val lifted up the shirt and revealed a pair of shorts.**

"**And besides," Val added. "I am more concerned with being comfortable than to cow-tow to the embarrassment of an old man…"**

"**I'm 27!" Cid snapped.**

"**But I'm 16," Val retorted. "You're old to me."**

**Cid took a deep breath and tried to calm down. He set down the bottle and took out cigarette. Beer was not going to cut it right now.**

"**Thank God!" Val cried. **

**Cid lit his cigarette and almost put the box on the table, but Valentine snatched both box and lighter away. "Hey!" **

**Cid watched in horror as Val pulled out a cigarette, lighted up, and took a long, good drag. "You are way too young to be smoking!" Cid scolded.**

"**Everyone is too young to be smoking," Val replied. "I've been dying for a smoke all day."**

"**You really should quit!"**

"**I'll quit if you quit."**

**Cid rubbed in head and moaned in frustration. An ashtray sat on the table. Cid reluctantly destroyed the beautiful cancer stick inside the bowl. Valentine rolled her eyes and did the same.**

"**So…you wanted to know everything?" Val asked.**

"**Yes…"**

"**Absolutely everything?"**

"**Yes!"**

"**Are you sure?"**

"**Just tell me!"**

**Valentine chuckled, obviously knowing something he didn't. "Are you willing to leave your job for it?" she asked.**

**Cid pressed his lips together in annoyance. "What's that supposed to mean?"**

**Val reached into her shirt for something. "Everything you want to know is government top secret…there are two options. One, you have to quit your job and come with me. Two…let's make a long story short…you die..."**

"**Is there a third option?" Cid asked meekly.**

"**Nope!" Val replied cheerfully. "Nein!"**

"**I've been swindled," Cid declared angrily. "You didn't tell me it was that big!"**

"**I thought you already knew that."**

**Cid slumped and nodded in agreement of his stupidity. **

"**Forget it than," Cid answered. "I like my job, and I don't want a bullet in the face."**

"**Suit yourself," Val replied teasingly. "You and your dead end job."**

**Cid glared at the brazen girl and got up from the couch. "I'm getting some shut-eye…"**

"**Off to dream about your dead end job?" Val asked.**

**Cid realized why this girl was born so cute.**

**----------**

"**Seph, put the violin down…I have to give to you…I told you that five minutes ago."**

**Sephiroth attempted to play in peace inside the private airplane. He pretended that he didn't hear his sister and kept playing. Lucy became annoyed and tried to yank the bow out of his hand. Sephiroth was stronger and yanked back. Lucy held fast and fell onto his lap by accident, much more to his surprise than hers. Her face squished into the leather of the seat, and she jerked back in discomfort. Her breath hit his face.**

"**Okay," Lucy said in submission. "I give you another five minutes…"**

**Sephiroth lightly pushed her off and dropped the violin on the next seat. He looked out the window.**

"**Seph?"**

"**Just do it now…I don't care anymore…"**

**Lucy frowned and hovered over him like a vulture.**

"**What's gotten into you all the sudden?" she asked.**

"**Nothing," Sephiroth answered. "I'm just tired…"**

**Lucy shrugged and grabbed the loaded syringe from the table.**

"**Take off your shirt," Lucy droned. "You know the drill."**

"**Yes, mother," he mocked. He proceeded to take the dress-shirt off…slowly.**

**Lucy growled and tore left side of his shirt; the buttons flew everywhere.**

"**Hey!" Sephiroth complained. **

"**Suck it up, smartass!"**

**Anger took over her mind, and Lucy jabbed the syringe into his arm, rather than gently pricking him. His face contorted in pain. Lucy realized what she had done and but released the medicine anyhow.**

"**Damn, I'm so sorry…"**

"**That's alright…I rather like it when you give me shots."**

"**Don't say things like that," Lucy scolded.**

**Sephiroth laughed mockingly. A wave of fatigue splashed onto him, and his head began to drop.**

"**I know that this stuff makes you sleepy," Lucy declared. "But I need you to stay with me. Okay?"**

"**Okie-dokey," he replied in a bout of delirium.**

**Lucy regretted giving him the shot. "Good…listen…when we land, we're going to be in a tight situation. You get it? Tight?"**

**Sephiroth nodded tiredly. "Yeah…I get it."**

"**We also run risk of running into the Triads…you brought the Odachi with you, right?"**

**Sephiroth nodded with his eyes closed. Lucy groaned, reached down, and slapped him across the face.**

"**I have it!" Sephiroth shouted angrily.**

"**Good…we're meeting him somewhere in San Francisco…we don't know where yet so be on your toes…okay?"**

**Lucy looked down and saw that Sephiroth had fallen asleep. She gave him another slap to wake him up.**

**----------**

**As much as he hated it, Cid was wide-awake, staring at the ceiling above. Too many thoughts were in his head. First, he had become the true sole witness of an assassination. Then, a girl who was 11 years younger than him had dragged him around. Now, his life was apparently in danger. To make matters worse, he couldn't help but think that this Valentine girl looked rather familiar. Almost like…**

"**She's probably related to him," Cid concluded. "She's involved in this mess, so why not?"**

**The urge to smoke was still fresh in his mind. He thought of sneaking out of the apartment, not wanting the "innocent" to be tempted. However, with someone wanting his head at the moment, he didn't favor the idea for very long. It was so frustrating. In the end, he settled for a beer and dragged himself out of bed. **

**He passed through living room and made sure that Val was sound asleep on the couch. He snuck quietly into the kitchen and prayed that the refrigerator light wouldn't wake her up. The Heineken was in view; he gently popped off the top.**

"**Hey, Cid…"**

**Cid turned frantically, like a criminal caught in the act. Val was still lying down on the couch and apparently had been awake. **

"**Cid," she said. "I have a question."**

**Cid shrugged his shoulders and leaned on the counter.**

"**What is defined as human?"**

"**Huh?"**

"**What is defined by as human?" Val repeated.**

**Cid squinted his eyes. He had left the refrigerator open, and the light began to hurt.**

"**Dunno," he mumbled sleepily. "Who gives a…"**

"**Don't say that!" Valentine scolded. "That's terrible!"**

**Cid winced and bumped his head on the cupboard behind him. He groaned in pain and cursed before rubbing his head. Finally, he shut the refrigerator door and walked out of the kitchen.**

"**You're sensitive all the sudden," Cid commented.**

"**I had a nightmare," Valentine explained. "No, a flashback. But I dreamed it, and it was bad enough to be one…please, tell me. What is defined as human?"**

**Cid stayed silent without saying a word.**

"**Forget it," she said. "I shouldn't have asked."**

"**I'm not done answering your question."**

**Cid thought hard and finally had some beer. He walked over and demanded room on the couch; Val sat up in response.**

"**Humans have humanity, right?" he suggested. "Humans have emotions and morals and common sense. That has to be it. Why are you even asking?"**

"**No, humanity has nothing to do with being human," Valentine argued.**

"**Why's that?"**

"**If there is a God…and I do believe there is one…humanity couldn't be it. God loves all human beings. He has morals…He can feel…He has more common sense than anyone else. But He's not human."**

**Valentine tightly grabbed onto her shirt at the chest and gritted her teeth.**

"**Not human at all…"**

"**Why are you upset?" Cid asked. "Why are you so worked up over a dream?"**

"**You wouldn't understand. It's complicated. And you already said that you wanted nothing to do with it."**

**Cid gave a stubborn look in the dark and drank more.**

"**If I ask, that means I care," Cid answered.**

"**That's not true," Val said.**

"**It's true for me!"**

"**If I tell you why," Val whispered. "You'll have to come with me or die."**

**Cid sighed in frustration and leaned back into the couch. His eye began to twitch.**

"**I'm sick," Val continued. "I am sick, sick, sick, sick of being treated like an animal. And when not I'm sick, I'm tired. I am sick and tired! I have feelings too, dammit! I have a personality! I'm human no matter what they say. I doesn't matter how I was born…or what I can do. And even if I wasn't 'human', what's so great about****being**** it? Attila the Hun was a so-called human and so was Hitler! You know what they were like…That's why I asked what it meant. What does it really mean anyway?"**

**Valentine smiled in satisfaction and leaned back. She saw the beer in Cid's hand.**

"**May I?" she asked.**

"**You've got to be kidding me!" Cid protested.**

"**My countries drinking age is 15," Val argued. "I just want a sip. I don't even like beer."**

**Cid reluctantly handed it over. Val drank, grimaced, gagged, and rapidly shook her head before giving it back. **

"**I don't picture rich kids smoking and taking a swig at beer," Cid said.**

**Val raised her hand, signaling that she had something to say, but still tried to recover. **

"**I prefer sake," Val said. "And maybe we 'rich kids' aren't what society pictures us to be. Maybe, we're just like everybody else. Of course, that would be if the phrase 'normal' were a plausible word. I'd like to shoot the bastard who made up the word. Along with the guy who made up 'human'…"**

"**You talk like a free-thinker," Cid commented. "What grade are you in?"**

"**I finished school 3 years ago. Accelerated course. One of the privileges of rich…private tutoring…"**

**Cid was still wide-awake. At least he was no longer alone.**

"**Hey, Cid?"**

"**Yeah?"**

"**I'm hungry."**

**----------**

**How he was convinced to go out to eat this late, Cid had no idea. It crossed his mind that Val had one hell of a puppy pout. Despite the front he put, Cid was always a sucker for that sort of thing. Luckily for him, there was a great secret in the heart of Chinatown: a classy, dim sum restaurant with good food and better prices…and it was open 'till 3am.**

"**How come we had to go out to eat at 1 am?" Cid asked.**

"**Cuz your refrigerator has nothing in it," Val replied bluntly. "You must be single."**

"**I had soybeans and ham," Cid said. "That's good for you…"**

**Valentine turned pale with horror. "Are you trying to kill me?"**

"**What's wrong with soy and ham?" Cid asked.**

"**I'm deathly allergic to soy," Val said. "And I hate ham! Pigs are filthy animals. They eat their own dead babies. Did you know that in order to get all of the parasites out of pork, you'd have to charbroil it until it was inedible?"**

**Cid felt sick to stomach and was sorry that he had asked. A person with a cart of dumplings came by, and Valentine eagerly waved them over. She took one of everything on the cart, except for the pork dumplings. **

"**You may not like pig," Cid teased, "But you sure eat like one."**

"**I need more food than most people," Val defended. "It runs in my family. And believe me, pigs eat less than I do. Way less. Want some chicken dumplings?"**

**Cid nodded in resignation and struggled with the chopsticks. He saw that Val used them with ease and immediately became jealous.**

"**How can you use these things?"**

"**I practice…"**

**A Chinese waitress came by and brought a cup of coffee to the table. Cid gave her a funny look.**

"**We didn't order any coffee."**

**The waitress pointed to another table, where two Chinese men sat, looking straight at them. Valentine glanced for a moment but then continued eating with a hint of indifference.**

"**Those two request it," the waitress replied in poor English. "I not know who they are…"**

**The waitress began to walk away, but Val stopped her.**

"**Can you pack the rest of this food to go, please?" Val asked. "I also want some bean jelly pastries…and bring me two forks…the silverware kind. Not the plastic."**

**The waitress frowned at the strange order but did as she was told anyhow. As soon as she was gone, the two men walked over and made themselves welcome at the table. Cid felt a qualm.**

"**Uh…who are you guys?"**

**The waitress had left some Peking duck on the table, so Val kept on eating.**

**Cid moved to get up, but a gun was soon pointed in his direction under the table. A wave of panic surged through him, but he kept a façade of calm. He looked to Valentine, who was in the same type of trouble. She kept on eating and had a playful smile on her face.**

* * *

** Oops...did I just write another cliffhanger? Oh well... **


End file.
